


Brothers in Arms

by Amethyst_Dawn, Cuthalion97



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Brotherly Love, Canon-Typical Violence, Clones, Dissociation, Emotional Hurt, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Graphic Description, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Jedi, Mild Gore, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23099845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethyst_Dawn/pseuds/Amethyst_Dawn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cuthalion97/pseuds/Cuthalion97
Summary: The clones have been fighting this war for nearly three years. War effects everyone, clones included. This is a clone wars longfic, I don't know why I did this. We have the favorites Jesse and Kix, Rex, Cody, Obi-Wan and Anakin. A few OCS to round it off. Wolffe!Angst, hurt, COMFORT. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.IDEK. We'll see as we go. You know how this self-writing characters be... \_( -_-)_/
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CT-21-0408 | Echo & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-5597 | Jesse & CT-6116 | Kix, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, CT-7567 | Rex & Original Clone Trooper Character(s), Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 30
Kudos: 43





	1. Onderon

Rex hovered in that semi-attentive state he had perfected as Cody's voice vibrated just within his consciousness and the image of the defense and attack strategies blurred into a semi-discernable haze. He couldn't get distracted now. The war was almost over, they were this close to freedom and whatever was beyond. So many of them were right in the brink of a true life, a life that so many had died without seeing for those who would. 

"Rex will lead the Torrent Company through the east side. I'll get the Ghost Company through the main gates for a sweep and forward fire, and the west will be covered by Wildfire's platoon."

Rex watched Cody's hand move across the board idly, then looked at General Kenobi, who stood with a hand on his ever-increasing amount of hair that covered his upper-lip and jaw. He seemed to be deep in thought as Cody waited for his approval. Rex shifted his helmet under his arm and looked at the empty spot next to Kenobi which Skywalker should have been standing in. General Koon stood on the other side and his commander stood besides Cody. 

"Perhaps I should lead a small attack group to the front gates for possible negotiations," Kenobi said thoughtfully. 

That was unnecessary, but Rex knew from Cody's ramblings that his general just thought that way. 

"I should do it." Skywalker walked in with a half-grin accompanying his tardiness. "I'd probably actually get it done."

"That probably isn't wise," General Koon said with a hint of humor - it was hard to tell. 

It wasn't wise, General Skywalker was known for his reputation of _negotiating_ with force. He was neither agreeable nor patient. Negotiations were not his forte.

Skywalker planted himself in the small space between Kenobi and Koon instead of the obvious spot on the other side. Rex grinned slightly at that but the expression fell as it normally did when he grounded himself in reality. 

"Wolffe will bring the rear with reinforcements and med evac if needed." Rex turned the group back on track, partially trying to refocus himself.

Wolffe nodded his consent and tilted his head down to analyze the layout of what they had of the field. It wasn't much, Rex realized, but they weren't exactly on uncharted territories. This campaign had been easy so far with all three battalions and they hadn't needed reinforcements from another battalion since the start (the 327th was on stand-by regardless).

"I want low arsenal and stuns being utilized. They may have captives," General Koon said passionately.

They'd likely have captives. They had so far. The Separatists claimed to have peace with Onderon; it was represented by Separatist senator Lux Bonteri, but frankly the Separatists didn't deal in peace.

"They may send in reinforcements at this point. We have to be ready to hold our position general," Rex spoke to the Kel Dor Jedi. "We may have to bring in heavy artillery."

Koon nodded his head slowly and his jaw seemingly worked, the mask covering the bottom of his face raised and fell slightly. Rex peered at him in an attempt to make out his reaction but produced nothing. Finally he nodded his head surely. "Take great caution commanders... and captain. Please speak to your transfers and new dispatchers before electing them into a platoon." Just another Jedi conscience-fueled precaution. "We'll be close by."

Rex nodded alongside Cody and Wolffe and they walked out. 

"You're the only one with new troops, Rex," Cody said as he fell into step besides him. 

"I'm not sure why. The 501st hasn't taken many troops since after Umbara." His voice cracked slightly in his last word but just slightly enough that Cody may have missed it. Umbara was nearly a year ago but it still made his chest ache. "Maybe it's just a few."

Cody shrugged. "Maybe. Whatever you do, don't send them my way."

Cody was referring to the last batch of shinys he received. From what Rex remembered they had been sent back for reconditioning. The 212th was not a battalion with men inexperienced enough to have the patience to sit and work through a younger brother's problem through taking or comfort, it was either you were fighting in this battle and pushing through your trauma or you weren't in the game. Sure, a ton of them had their own problems but they got through it by pummeling head-first into a battlefield. 

"I wouldn't dream of it." The only thing he dreamed of was a smoking hole through Anakin's back by his own blaster.

"Say Wildfire gets to the checkpoint before yours. Drinks are on you guys," Wolffe called back to the two of them. 

It was a controversial joke. Drinks were on the Republic. Everything the clones consumed was billed to the Republic. 

Rex and Cody diverged paths as Wolffe disappeared into a group of lavender and white armor.

Rex got to landing pad 4 where Appo stood just as two gunships landed with the flawless attentiveness of an eager cadet, straight off Kamino.

Rex watched as the soldiers in unmarked armor filed out and lined up in seamless rows without any verbalization. One trooper, however, was just a beat behind and one color too designed; he slunk into the back row and seemingly disappeared. They all took their helmets off and tucked them under their arms, revealing their identical attire and unmarked skin. 

"Welcome to the 501st Battalion. I'm Commander Appo and this is Captain Rex."

Rex assumed a position better suited to a high officer and ran his gaze over the new cadets, noticing that most of them averted their vision for just a moment to look at the jaig eyes painted onto his helmet.

"It is unfortunate that General Skywalker could not be here to greet you. It has been decided to advance the event earlier; thus he is preparing for the attack, but you will meet him in due time." Appo was silent for a few moments. "Barracks 4 and 6 are available. I trust you all can find your way. Some of you may be grouped into platoons for the scheduled attack. Be prepared at 1500 exactly."

Appo replaced his helmet on his head and nodded stiffly at the young troopers before turning on his heel quickly and walking away. Rex wasn't sure, but he seemed desperate to be away, his legs moving swiftly as he went towards his own barracks. Rex turned away from Appo's receding back to face the troopers who had fallen slightly out of order, some of them whispering to others in hushed tones.

"I'm your captain," Rex said loudly to get their collective attention. "I expect to be able to trust you and you, me. Dismissed!"

Keeping the leader role was easy for Rex but it was a relief when he was able to drop it even for a moment. The shinys scattered to the barracks eagerly. Friends to make and beds to claim. Rex missed the time when he was just like them, before he experienced anything besides the damming waters of Kamino, when he bent rules alongside Cody and was actually available for useless banter or arm wrestling.

Rex was about to head to his barracks when he noticed the trooper with already-colored armor. His armor was marked with black strokes and his helmet, which he had placed back on his head, was littered with tallies scratched into the paint along with jumbled numbers and names. Upon further inspection, Rex realized that the armor had faint hand prints of crusty, dark red which he identified as blood. He walked over to him and placed a hand on his should to get his attention. The trooper jumped around, practically slapping Rex's hand of his shoulder. 

"Trooper?" Rex was sure to keep his voice soft, since he was obviously troubled. _Aren't we all?_ "Are you good?"

The trooper nodded but didn't speak. 

"What's your name?"

"3216," he said simply, though his voice was distant and hollow. 

"You don't have a name yet?" He didn't respond to that and Rex couldn't gauge his demeanor well with his helmet on. "Do you mind taking your helmet off?"

He hesitantly complied and when he did Rex realized the reason for his hesitancy. A quite fresh, jagged scar ran from behind his right ear to the top of his forehead, and another from his neck to right above his lip. The first scar disrupted an intricate blue tattoo and the second drew his lip up giving him an angry look. Behind the scars, though, was a relatively young clone, his slightly wide eyes labeled him as, at most, just turning ten - yet he looked like he'd seen hell.

Rex forced himself not to flinch and instead noted the uniform stands of hair that covered the unscarred part of his head pulled back in a semi-ponytail. "What battalion are you from?"

"782nd. Terminated." His face was black with practice as he spoke in a tone of recital. He was like he was acting as a protective barrier for himself, he'd obviously gone through a lot.

"I'm sorry," Rex said lightly.

3216 nodded ever so slightly yet his barrier didn't break down. Rex smiled in an attempt to ease him but he was returned a black stare.

"May I be dismissed?" he asked.

Rex nodded his approval, and the kid hurried away as if he might break down. Rex tried not to think to hard on it as he went to his own barracks to rest, just for a few moments.

* * *

Rex watched his lined troops, too many of them were in pain white armor. There were to many shinys. They wouldn't hinder their progress but they were determined and bull-headed at this age, too many will die. To many brothers would die. But that was what they were there for, every single last one of them had better be ready to lay their lives down for the Republic because that is what was expected of them.

"Stay close together. Standard formation. This is unfamiliar territory, a slip-up for any one of us could turn the tide of this battle within moments." Cody lectured the lined troops who were just now splitting into platoons. 

Rex gave Cody a nod of closure. They both were well aware that this may be the last time they saw each other alive, they knew he every time they were shipped out. It was always l left unsaid for fear of damming themselves but weren't they already dammed?

The Torrent Company were littered in a large group adjusting each other's armor and calibrating weapons. Rex found they'd chief medic, Kix, while he was slinging a medkit across his back. The health symbols on his armor shined when they caught the prematurely receding light, which wasn't often with the shrubbery they were about to march into blocking the sunny-side of the planet.

"Kix." Rex called him from a few meters away. Kix turned to face him, his face was oddly forlorn.

Kix didn't wait for Rex to speak but asked a question of his own, "Have you seen Jesse?"

Rex looked around the group and spied Jesse's helmet on a rations crate but he wasn't with it.

Rex shrugged, "Probably went to the fresher."

The conclusion didn't seem to ease Kix's worry and he continued to glance around the group of brothers. Rex waited for him to leave his distraction and face him again. Kix didn't until he was satisfied, Jesse entered the crowd and retrieved his helmet and a weapon. Kix breathed out but he still looked distant. Rex quirked an eyebrow at him as he realized that it was rare to see the two of them apart when they were off the battlefield. 

"Did something happen?" Regardless if something did Kix was still letting Jesse lean on him from afar even if it was without him knowing. "Kix!"

Kix turned back to him suddenly and straightened. "Sir." His attention had returned. 

Rex felt like asking about Jesse again but dropped it. "I want you to take middle ground instead of the rear. We've got a lot of shinys in this run I want you to be closer to them."

Kix nodded his understandment and turned his focus to the inside of his helmet. Kix was a good and dedicated soldier but couldn't afford to be distracted.

"Don't get too distracted with whatever is going on Kix."

"Yes Sir." Kix mumbled and placed his bucket on his head.

Rex moved to the head of the group which was starting to form two lines to march into the forest. Rex noticed 3216 in the middle of the second line, his armor not yet repainted, he didn't seem to be interacting with anyone or even trying to, he just stood among them silently out of place.

They were ready to march within a few minutes and Appo's voice gave them the signal and they delved into the thick forest. The hike was not much more than an hour at a steady speed, careful not to wear the platoon. No detours were taken and the platoon was in position before the required time. 

"Torrent in position." Rex said into his comm. 

His body was beginning to ready itself to receive the burst of adrenaline that accompanied battle. He could feel the company behind him stiffen and ready themselves as well. The familiar click of weapons being drawn eased Rex, they were all armed and capable. 

Rex dropped his scope and peered into the distance, laying flat on his armored stomach. The armor was comforting, a layer of protection all his own. He designed it to be reliable and protective beyond the standard because if his life was sacred to anyone it was hisself. And then the Republic because it was his duty, the reason he existed. 

The Seppy's operation was in sniper range, perfect. The enemy was set up with multiple patrols and spider droids and cannons set up as guards. Rex motioned to his Sergeant, Alpha, and he dropped his scope as well and lay next to Rex.

"See those patrols there?" Rex asked. 

"Yes Sir."

"I need your best snipers to take out the weapons they're guarding."

Alpha readjusted his scope and studied the assignment for a moment. "If the first shots don't take one down we lose the inevitable upper-hand."

Rex knew that, it was just a distraction but they'd have to give up their position. "I'm not expecting you to take it down just shoot at it... though if you could take it down..." Alpha gave him a side-glance that was only apparent because of the tilt of his helmeted head. Rex chuckled, "Just give me a distraction."

Alpha nodded and they both eased back from where they lay and turned to the troopers.

"Afar, Ray and Zeta you're with me. Sniper positions." Alpha said. 

The three appointed snipers stepped forward with rifles slung over their shoulders. Alpha took the head and the group disappeared into the trees. Rex turned to the rest of the group. 

"I want two Medics to a wave. Kix is with the second wave along with Tonic. The other four will be assigned to a wave by Kix. Remember, set weapons to stun until the Ghost gets a sweep for civilians."

The troopers nodded their understandment. They'd been briefed on this a few times before but unity on the battlefield was everything, chances weren't loosely taken. 

"Let's go!" Rex enthusiasted.

"In position captain." Came Alpha's signal.

"Fire at will." Rex said and activated his jet pack.

The sound of a group of jet packs rang out behind Rex and the first wave of the Torrent Company moved out. 

The first sniper spot hit one of the spider cannons directly into the barrel, that was most definitely Alpha's shot. The entire machine spasmed and shook before sparking and crumbling in a dramatic display of purple and white energy. The blast buzzed through Rex as he led the silent advance of his wave. He put a hand up as a patrol came close. Three droids clanked past. 

"What was that?" Asked the commanding droid.

"I think I saw an explosion. Do you think we're under attack?" Asked a second droid.

"Probably just a drill." The third concluded. 

Rex snorted at their incapability and the well-aimed shots took them out within a heartbeat. The stun shots caused them to continue beeping random trills of power indication before droning into a silence as they powered down. Rex walked over and nudged one with the tip of his shoe and then gave the group the go-ahead and they continued advancing as two more explosions rang out marking the increasing chaos of the narrow-minded Separatists droids.

When they passed the threshold into the Seppys operation there was little resistance. They fanned out into groups of three and accessed the area while moving towards the gathering of Separatists forces. The droids all were facing the same way, away from them. Rex's men rained stun bolts at the jokes of soldiers and they all fell to metallic bundles of electricity without so much as two blasts on their end. This was too easy, the droids were dunce but not this uncoordinated. 

"Fall back!" Rex yelled suddenly.

Every hair on his body stood on end despite the skintight suit under his armor. Static caused his ears to pop as he ran back and a deafening scream of heart hit his back, propelling him forward. He rolled out of the fall, ignoring his sore back and called in the second wave. Blaster fire was raining down his way. Multiple of his brothers had gotten up with determination despite the scorched corpses of others and were returning fire into the gaze left behind from the explosion. He distantly realized that they had switched to blasts instead of stun in the momentary time it took for Rex to find his footing. He let the detail slip and switched his own guns, Koon could argue about it later, he wasn't in the field as a soldier without the protection of the precious force. 

The second wave arrived from above, landing directly into the cluster of droids. They began falling from within but the numbers were raising, for each droid taken down three more replaced it. Rex ran forward, 17s firing in both directions. He ducked through his brothers to take the front again and ran into the shield of a roll and took out its processor. He took another out with a well placed slot to its central cortex right as it unfolded. 

"10 already down captain!" One of the Medics called over the din of the battle, was it Kix or Hustler? "We should regroup and go with a different strategy!"

"What's our snipers doing?"

"As much as they can!" Alpha's jet pack sputtered with overuse as he took aim and took out a grouping of droids. "Afar says it's even worse than this, there are more on the way, hundreds more!"

Well that was short-lived. "Fall back!" Rex yelled, jogging backwards while continuing his fire. "Fall back!"

Rex tapped his comm as they retreated. "Cody, Wolffe we're pulling out for now. Hope you're getting more luck than us."

The men retreated back into the trees to the third wave. Rex frantically counted the men who had made it. Not enough. The snipers fell out of the trees, supporting Zeta who was hissing against a blood-covered shoulder. His arm had a neat hole that went straight through, he probably couldn't even feel it properly yet. 

"Tonic!" Rex pointed to Zeta who was being eased onto the ground and turned to see how many wounded survived.

"23 dead. 14 wounded and 2 more is going to pass from wounds."

Rex turned to the informer, it was 3216, his face was haggard and his hair was plastered to his head with sweat. His eyes drifted oddly and weren't really focusing on Rex. Rex touched his face lightly to get his attention but only received a recoil in return. He dropped his hand and peered at him quizzically. 

"Are you injured?"

3216 focused suddenly as if being pulled out of a daydream. "No." His hands, which were ungloved, scratched uniformly at his armor's paint. "Excuse me."

Rex opened his mouth to say more but 3216 rushed off, Rex got a sight of him kneeling next to one of the injured troopers who immediately began grabbing for 3216's embrace. He whispered something to him and he immediately relaxed, clutching his hands. 3216 moved away as medic Burns approached, Rex noticed the telltale limpness of the trooper easing out of life, he wasn't sure if it was just because of where he was standing but the trooper looked peacefully resigned as his wounds took his life. Burns pressed a finger to the trooper's neck and his face fell slightly before he stood up and moved to the next.

_"Ghost has secured position."_ Rex looked down at his comm as Cody's voice filtered through. He waited to hear Wolffe's success but it didn't come, it probably would in a while. _"No civilians in the area."_

Rex turned to his troopers. "We need to get back out there! Tonic, Burns, stay with the wounded. The rest of us, full force assault!"

The second assault was easier knowing what they were up against. Two walkers went out to attack with full power while being backed up by soldiers on foot. Whatever strategy the droids were using before fell away as the Torrent Company burned their ranks. The command center was the only structure left standing when they'd finished and they lost no time surrounding it.

Rex holstered his DC-17s and marched to the entrance of the center, Sergeant Alpha close behind him with a trail of the troops behind them. The command center was occupied by few droids, which Rex did the honors of blowing holes through their elongated heads, and TL tactical units.

"Clone Captain. We have anticipated your arrival. The third platoon will not make it far in their mission—"

The electronic voice cut out as Alpha ripped the head from its shoulders, stepping back to allow it to fall back dramatically. The second one remained silent and Rex put up a hand to stop Alpha from dismantling it. 

"What do you mean?" He turned to the droid. Wolffe

"Reinforcements will arrive in due time, you will be smoked out."

_"Wildfire Platoon had secured position."_

Rex connected to Wolffe's frequency. "Wolffe be on stand-by to reinforce Wildfire." then he connected to Wildfire. "Be on high caution. You might be ambushed."

The tactical droid made a mechanical trilling sound, it's version of a chuckle, and placed its hands behind his back. Rex watched it closely as one of the troopers moved to slice the console. Droids were impossible to read especially tactical droids. Rex gave up after scolding himself for even attempting to weed a lie out of a tactical droid. He nodded at Alpha and pushed its body back as a smoking hole ripped through it.

"A transmission was sent for reinforcements but not for Wildfire's location." Rex turned to the trooper who stood at the console, "It was sent for Cody's location."

"There's nothing over there except tanks." Rex looked over the trooper's shoulder to see the screen, a mapped grid of a mystery object was displayed. "What's that?"

The trooper shrugged slightly. "The goal is to power it."

"But what is it? _Where_ is it?" Rex reconnected to Cody's frequency, "There's a... potential weapon in your location... best route is to give up your position, I'm not sure what it is yet or how many clankers are en route to defend it."

_"I will call in Wolffe."_ Cody replied defiantly. His end of the transmission was dangerously quiet, no sounds of the gunfire that would likely proceed within a few minutes from that time. _"I can hold this position."_

Rex silently cursed his friend and huffed loudly. "Not yet Commander." Rex made his voice strong and rebellious. 

_"Excuse me?"_ Rex could hear a slight smile on Cody's face but Rex was serious. 

"Not yet." He repeated starkly. "Fall back and surprise attack, get them in the defensive. We shouldn't expire the 104th aside from Wildfire's platoon just yet."

_"Of course captain."_ Rex could hear the sarcasm in his voice but also the thoughtfulness as he considered the proposal. His voice dropped in realization. _"Of course!"_

He was coming up with something. _"If General Koon and Wolffe come around and attack from the back our combined forces could take out the droids."_

Rex made an amused face under his helmet, "And what of the weapon?"

_"That's what Wolffe's resident Jedi would be for. He'll know what to do once we find it."_

Rex realized Cody had picked up on Skywalker's and even Kenobi's insubordination when compared to the Kel Dor Jedi. He was the most rational of the three, even when the high general of the 7th Sky Corps was put into the equation. Plo Koon may be stumped but he'd rationalize and plan quick, Rex had watched him and Wolffe do it. They would stand and speak in seemingly useless banter of the peaceful kind then come up with a solution to a tight situation, maybe or maybe not by pure chance. 

Just as a joke Rex asked. "And why not Kenobi or Skywalker?"

_"Are we on the same page captain?"_ It was his ask for approval because, even if he wouldn't voice it, he knew that Rex was the more tactically experienced of the two of them being as he was constantly on the battlefield. _"Hmm?"_

The mocking sound at the end almost made Rex say no just for the heck of it. "Yes Sir. Notify Wildfire."

The transmission ended and Rex stepped away from the console.

"He always gets his way anyways." Alpha muttered from beside Rex. 

Rex took of his helmet and rested it in the crook of his arm. "Let's secure this joint then I need some rations."

* * *

It was easier to follow the action than to calm down after a successful battle. He followed a nonexistent path towards nothing until he heard blaster fire. He grabbed his 15B tighter and broke into a jog towards the sound. He exited the trees at a platform which held a raging battle. The Ghost Company led by Commander Cody fired on a large battalion of droids, definitely overwhelming. 3216 slipped in easily, dodging and trading fire with the enemy in a familiar dance they all danced profoundly. 

3216 felt the tide of the war turn and the droid numbers thinned suddenly. Clones with purple-colored armor flew in and gathered, some in jet packs others on walkers or on foot, amidst them was a Kel Dor Jedi dressed in reddish robes slicing down droids with his custom weapon. 3216 halted for a moment as his eyes found the Jedi but he picked up his pace, shooting droids down with new efficiency.

"Push forward. I'll catch up!" The Jedi ordered whilst swinging his saber in seemingly random but effective slashes.

3216 allowed the battle to carry him, he couldn't get distracted or pulled out of the adrenaline rush. _People get hurt when I hesitate._

"Catch up brother!" A 104th medic trooper ran by him, his demeanor jovial and then he fell.

3216's body came to a sudden halt and he dropped down to the fallen trooper, blood rushing into his head. _One brother fallen was better than a hundred._ He shook his head and stood back up, turning away from the trooper he broke back into a run. He delved into the mix of purple and goldenrod, his black out of place but unnoticed for the moment. He felt exposed with the droids at his back which a few troopers were firing at but were mostly being bested by the Kel Dor on his lonesome.

"Runner! Where's Runner?"

3216 turned back instinctively to the trooper who had fallen, if he were to name him based on the one-sided interaction they had he'd probably come up with Runner too. 3216 knew he was dead, no need to be sentimental.

"Runner's down!" 3216 called, stopping his run, training caused his brain to revert to socialism and communicate on the field, it was essential. "Medic Runner's down."

3216's comm buzzed.

"Ergo!" The same trooper called out, he was quickly joined by a medic trooper which he began speaking to as they continued to rain fire, helping clear the field of the first wave of droids.

He took two clean shots and his comm buzzed again earning his ignorance.

"Hey! If you're not going to protect yourself at least don't get in our way!"

3216 moved to the side and broke back into a run, lifting his weapon and took a perfect shot through three droids before he drop-kicked a fourth before putting a blast through its head. The adrenaline was rushing back into his body and his speed increased. The enhanced metabolism and stamina of every Fett clone was just about compensating for his enthusiasm. He rammed his shoulder into a droid he'd shot in the previous seconds and used it as a shield as he ran into the midst of the droids and rained fire of vengeance upon them.

His comm had buzzed a few more times he believed, someone had missed him. 

It was too quick in his mind when the fighting ceased. The enemy fire had reduced drastically and still he continued his warpath until every single droid was on the floor of the forest. He stayed on his feet though, a way away from the rest of the troopers. His shoulders heaved as the adrenaline speed away steadily and then the ever-present tremble returned. It was so slight even he would've missed it had he not felt for it since it had first started.

"Cody's passing out grub." 3216 turned to the voice. "You just gonna stand there?"

3216 shrugged. "Not hungry."

The trooper scoffed and his uncovered face cracked into a grin. "I'd think you'd be the most hungry."

_You'd think._ 3216 replied with a small shrug, he wasn't even sure if the other clone had seen it. 

"What battalion were you in?" He had stepped closer.

"782nd. Terminated." He repeated the words he had earlier and multiple times before that. 

"I can't see why. If they all fought like you then there was no way ya'll were terminated." 3216 knew he meant it as a compliment but he couldn't bring himself to reply so the trooper continued. "Got a name? I'm Tion."

_Tion_ as in the mando'a prefix for questioning. "3216."

"You haven't got a name?"

3216 shrugged. "Do I need one?"

"Well sure. We could call you Ram. Cause, you know, you're like a battering ram."

3216 quirked an eyebrow and felt the tight tug of his scar drawing back. "Am I?"

Tion snorted. "You were practically wrestling those clankers to pieces out there." 

He hadn't noticed. Why hadn't he noticed? Why must he ask himself these things?

"That's some fuel you must be holding on to."

Tion reached out to touch the scraped markings on the side of his helmet, 3216 dodged his hand and looked at him shakily. Tion lifted his hands in a gesture of peace.

"I should've asked." He said quickly. 

3216 remembered a time he didn't flinch when an ally reached out for him. He remembered a time when he would sleep back-to-back with his brother, a time when he could go weeks without not a single tremor. Now it was just a memory. 3216 turned away from Tion and tightened his grip on his 15A. Tion's gaze turned to his weapon and he sighed as if he'd seen this already. 

"The fight is over. You can relax." His practiced voice lowered. "No one else is dying."

An ache pinched his chest and he grimaced under his helmet. People will keep dying until this war was over. Separatists and Republic alike. One battle over is a prequel to a thousand more to come and not one, no matter how experienced, would survive from start to finish. And not everyone would die from war...

"Ram?" He was running with it. "Are you good? Did you get injured?"

Tion scanned his intact armor. Why did everyone think he was injured when he shook just slightly more than normal? 3216 swayed Tion's probing hand which had rested on his shoulder plate. 

"I'm fine." He growled, his comm buzzed and this time he answered it.

"This is 3216."

"Where are you?" The slight desperation in the Captain's voice was nearly masked by his anger. "Tonic has been looking. Damn, we've all been looking."

The 501st was barely his station for the hours, why did they care so much? Why not label him one of the vaporized dead?

"You're not 104th or 212th?" Tion questioned as if that wasn't apparent. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm with the Ghost Company." 3216 said simply, the shaking was subsiding he thought.

"Why are you with the Ghost?" Rex's voice was quietly even. 

"Rather be fighting than sitting around."

"Stay with the Ghost and don't go anywhere. That's an order." The comm cut out and 3216 dropped his arm heavily.

"Why are you here?" Tion asked again, he really was living up to his name.

After a few minutes of 3216 not answering Tion turned and walked away. 3216 sank to the lush ground and leaned on a tree, turned to face the camp, his gun leaning besides him. It was scary how calm it was when gunfire had just been raining a few minutes ago. He rested his head in the tree stump and sighed as the shaking started again, rattling him dizzy in his armor.

* * *

Rex glared at his silent comm after cutting off from 3216. Tonic had reported him missing and not among the fallen. Rex supposed he felt grounded when he was on the field but he still should have communicated. 

"3216 is with Commander Cody." Rex said as he entered the Medic's tent.

Tonic and Kix looked up from the troopers they were stitching. A shiny stood protectively close to the trooper Tonic worked on and shifted his position to stand straight for the Captain.

Tonic nodded and returned to his work and Rex went over to Kix. 

"Did Jesse come around?" He asked. 

Kix shook his head solemnly and sealed the trooper's stitch. "Haven't seen him since before the battle, Alan said saw him at the edge of the camp, I'm sure he's fine."

He seemed to be trying to convince himself as well as Rex. Rex patted his shoulder and turned to leave.

"Could you ask him to see me if you pass? It's no big deal."

"Sure. Just stay focused okay? We kind of need you."

Kix gave an expressionless smile and patted the trooper he had finished stitching as a signal that he was finished. 

Rex leaned in as he passed Tonic. "Keep an eye on him will ya?"

Tonic nodded stiffly and refocused on his work.

Rex stepped out of the tent, only then realizing how refreshingly cool Onderon's night air was against his shaved scalp. His head was helmet-less like most of the troops. He looked around as his men settled in, they'd be marching forward in a few hours until then they'd have time to rest. Rex eased himself to the soft ground next to the med tent and idly knawed on a tough ration bar. The taste was stale in his mouth, a sign he'd been on this campaign too long.

The metallic clanking of an All-Terrain walker grabbed Rex's attention. It was distant but closing in. General Skywalker had finally arrived. The camp began rearranging to allow the coming walkers space. 

Rex connected to Skywalker's frequency and surprisingly got an immediate connection.

"Took you long enough general." Rex smirked. 

"I'm not there yet Rex. Still time to turn around." His voice sounded occupied. One of the walkers in the tree-filled distance swerved slightly and Anakin's transmitted voice grunted and he mumbled. "You'd think they'd be easier to control."

"Are you behind the controls?" Rex was surprised that he wasn't doing so swell controlling it though he didn't doubt he'd have it practiced by the time he reached the camp, he was an infuriatingly quick learner. "It looks a little drunk there."

"Well Appo wasn't doing such a good job."

A mumble in the background marked Appo's presence.

"See ya general." Rex cut the call of and stood up, tossing the remaining part of the ration bar to the side.

"Got three walkers and a platoon coming in with the general and commander Appo." Rex said loudly to the already-preparing crowd. 

A few hushed groans followed the mention of Commander Appo. It was silently agreed that Appo was not their former commander's replacement of equality but they couldn't be mad at him. He was a lot stricter than Ahsoka, naturally, and Cody had even made fun (in private with Rex) about him being inexperienced since he worked with him on a few occasions. He was younger than Rex and was a lot like what Dogma had been like; loyal and strict. 

Once the platoon stationed Anakin exited the walker in a flourish of dark robes and hair. He looked jovial, all things considered. He hadn't been so happy as of late but at that moment he looked in a significantly better mood.

Appo came out with a lot less grandeur, slightly tripping on his own feet as he reached the ground. He corrected himself and nodded at Rex. Rex knew that under his helmet he probably was colored red at his mishap. He was still learning. 

"Good to see you in one piece Rex." Anakin's eyes scanned the area, "You lost some men I notice."

Anakin was observant enough. "It shouldn't have been so many. They were mostly shinys, we had an ambush."

"I'm taking the front lines this time." Anakin said idly before addressing Rex again. "I need a debrief on what we're doing. Obi-Wan wouldn't give it to me."

Rex smiled. "I do believe we already had one general."

"I'll be waiting." Anakin chuckled before climbing back into the walker.

"Commander." Rex greeted. 

"Captain." Appo said quickly before swiftly turnING away from him to speak with ARC trooper Moor as if to not strike a conversation. Rex was sure he was one of the few brothers who didn't bother making friends. Eventually he'd grow out of that phase.

"Rene!" Rex called a nearby trooper who came over to him devotedly. "Get a debrief ready for General Skywalker."

"He came late again sir?"

Rex chuckled. "Does he ever not?"

The trooper turned away with a smile on his face and picked up a discarded data pad from a crate as he passed it.

Rex scanned the camp like Anakin had and again noticed the shortage of troopers. They would've had a lot less casualties hear they brought in more experienced troopers. Rex made a mental note to have a training session once they boarded _the Resolute_ and to reassign some of the more experienced to the Torrent Company.

This battle had been so easy in theory, they hadn't lost this many men in a while. Rex realized most of the ones burned out was straight off Kamino, bad assigning, Appo's assigning. Rex didn't like that, when he did the strategy and tactics they didn't lose so many, he'd have to speak with the commander on the matter. But for now, Anakin needed catching up.


	2. Onderon

Cody hissed as Helix prodded the bruise forming on his shin. So much for shin guards. Helix set a bacta patch on it and mumbled at him to stop whining. Cody eased his leg down of Helix's lap and wiggled his foot to unalienate the sharp pain. The bacta was already doing is job of numbing and healing, it was a surface wound, it wouldn't handicap him severely.

"Stay off it for a few minutes." Helix said just as Cody got to his feet. 

Cody say back down on the create which he stood from and cast Helix an insistent look before thanking him. It had to be stressful being a medic, especially one for the 212th, half of them wrestled with droids for fun.

"I'm serious commander." Helix had for to long put up with Cody injuring an injury. "It's not even that long sir."

"I will." Cody assured the exasperated medic. "Go see Clic."

Helix gave him one last warning look and then departed to see an injured Clic. Cody flexed his foot again and twitched at the easing pain. He fastened pieces of his armor to distract himself and looked over the temporary camp. He could see Rex's new trooper who Rex said had joined them during the fighting. He was resting against a tree, away from the rest of their brothers.

"I'm pretty sure staying off it means not working it either commander." Cody realized he was working his ankle again and looked at Bast who had crouched next to him. "At least that's what Helix yelled at me during our last campaign."

Cody spared a glance at Bast's foot. "Seemed to have healed nicely."

Bast raised his brows and nodded. "Rest and disuse. Works wonders."

Cody tested his weight against it. "I can barely feel the bruising."

"I can _see_ the bruising."

"We found the weapon Cody!" Someone yelled from a distance.

Bast abandoned Cody to jog with the flowing troopers, putting on his helmet as he moved. Cody peeped under the patch on his ankle and ripped it off prematurely. The bruise was significantly lighter. _I can survive a bruise._ He put on his shoe and got to his feet, putting on his own helmet, to join his and Wolffe's platoons.

Naturally the group of soldiers parted for the commander. Wolffe's Jedi stood in front of a concealed object, he seemed to be adjusting something.

"It's a transmitter." The Kel Dor announced much to the gathered troopers' surprise. "Specialized. But to what I am not sure."

"Can't we just blast it?" Wolffe grumbled, looking over Koon's shoulder. 

"It's in the process of transmitting, it was turned on recently, I'm not sure what blasting it would do but refraining would give me time to trace the signal."

"Nixon's on it." Task muttered beside Nixon.

The Jedi stood up from the small contraption. It was highly unremarkable, a lot smaller than what they all expected. Cody stepped up next to Wolffe and removed his helmet to reveal an amused expression. 

"This is what Rex was all riled up about?" He chuckled. Rex had been honestly worried. "Wow. Doesn't even look that dangerous."

"WATCH OUT!" Cody wasn't sure who called it but he ran towards him out of confidence. The sky was alight with a golden haze as a storm of missiles rained down towards them with precision. Cody pulled Wolffe with him as he tried to clear immediate danger. 

"IT'S TRANSMITTING A SCAN!" Someone else yelled, Cody guessed Nixon. 

Cody dove with Wolffe as the missiles began dropping. Secondary bullets pelted the ground around them and then a missile lodged into the ground not inches from Cody's ankle.

"So much for not working it." Cody grumbled, waiting for the blow that'd, at best, take his foot but it didn't come.

Wolffe groaned beside him and Cody put a hand on his back. "Don't move." He hissed. 

Wolffe strained to see around them and Cody kept his eyes glued to the weapon at the tip of his nose. 

"They're all dormant." Wolffe said incredulously. 

"Contact your general." He inhaled the bitter smell of paused battle and listened to the silent anticipation of still men as they awaited orders or death. "This is bad."

Wolffe moved with renewed precaution as he dialed General Koon's frequency. He answered almost right away eliciting a breath of relief from Wolffe which was short lived as the Jedi in the Jedi's voice filtered through the connection. 

"If you move they blow. Tell the pack to stay down commander. Contact Commander Cody."

"I'm here sir."

"Contact your men." The Jedi ordered. "Alert Kenobi."

The comm system cut off and Wolffe did as he was ordered and Cody as well. Obi-Wan answered rather slowly for Cody's liking. He sounded like he was moving, he was supposed to be at base.

"Just a standby alert sir." Cody couldn't keep the inquisition out of his voice. 

"I'm coming in." Kenobi said. 

"No." Cody heard Obi-Wan's silent confusion, he probably had that karking eyebrow raised. "The field's littered with mines. One move and they all go off."

"If it's a chain reaction then we can cut it off to minimize the damage." Cody's general said after a moment of pondering. Cody noticed he had stopped moving on the other end. 

"That won't work General. They're controlled by a scanner transmitter on the other side of the field. We're not even sure how it works yet, disabling it might cause them all to go off anyway."

Besides Cody, Wolffe rolled slightly onto his side causing Cody to stiffen.

"I'll notify General Skywalker. Stay where you are, I'll get aerial units out, stealth is compromised anyways." Obi-Wan said finally before cutting the signal. 

Cody widened his eyes at Wolffe who grunted thickly from under his helmet. Cody realized his visor was cracked and the top of the helmet dented--he had taken a direct hit.

"Are you injured?"

Wolffe snorted. "Aren't we all." Cody felt something shift against his thigh, Wolffe's leg. "I'm stuck."

"Stay still." Cody warned, straining his neck to see where the restraining object was. It was an entire missile! "Don't move! It's a missile."

Wolffe hissed a rather vulgar curse before easing his leg, it must've been falling asleep. Cody and Wolffe lapsed into a silence of concentration which was hard with a missile at Cody's nose and another physically touching Wolffe.

"Your general will figure something out." Wolffe's voice was light and airy, not ponderous which annoyed Cody given their current situation. "If not mine will. That Jedi hocus pocus better be authentic because I'm living this war thorough."

Cody scoffed stiffly at Wolffe's slight optimism. Optimism wasn't going to get them anywhere. Cody's annoyance was quickly discarded as a footstep crunched not far from where they lay. If someone was up then they all might as well be dead.

"What's going on?" _Was that Rex's runaway?_

The trooper was just in Cody's line of vision, he must not have been in the vicinity for a reaction but he was certainly close.

"Trooper! Get down!"

3216 turned towards Cody's voice, finally noticing the situation and stepped down into a grounded position--too slow to close. Cody cried out as his nose blistered as the weapon in front of him heated swiftly. Wolffe strained again, disregarding caution. They were going to blow anyways. Cries dotted the field and Cody relaxed into the heat. _Well isn't this a way to go?_ He thought darkly.

Cody's stomach lurched suddenly as the blow unnaturally pushed him upward, scalding his armor. Wolffe groaned beside Cody as his leg was wrenched from underneath the hot weapon. They were hovering high above the ground. Cody's stomach lurched as he flipped and got a generous view of the ground fat below him littered with explosives. He had a moment of a free-falling sensation then forced himself to stop twisting. Whoever was holding him up didn't have control over his body, just how high he was. 

"Jedi hocus pocus." Wolffe muttered besides Cody as more troopers started joining them. Some confused others gleeful. 

"How do you like the view Cody?"

Cody looked to the Jedi gracefully steady besides him, deep in concentration. Cody realized after a moment that he'd never seen Kenobi go this far with the force, just Rex's Jedi. 

"I'd rather not have it."

Despite his obvious strain Obi-Wan smirked. "Would you rather be down there commander?" He nodded to the colorful explosions below. 

Cody laughed humorously. "I'd rather not." He shut his eyes tight, he felt horribly exposed without his helmet. 

"That damn _di'kut_." Wolffe growled. "I hope he has reason for being so unruly."

Cody guessed he was speaking of 3216. "He's new." Cody said lamely.

New wasn't a reason to be unaware of the battlefield, he should have been with the group or at least approached with caution. Yet it was as much their fault as his that he was unaware of the situation. Cody set his jaw at the unnecessary deaths that must've occurred, Rex would need to have a talk with this trooper.

"Being _new_ doesn't justify killing brothers." Cody flinched at Wolffe's bluntness. Technically that was the result.

"Other than a few blisters everyone is unharmed. If you two are done, I'd like to find this transmitter." Kenobi, despite his sarcasm, didn't look humorous. He was just as aware of the possible toll if he hadn't shown up.

"Where's General Plo?" Wolffe spoke to Kenobi.

"He's taking the other side of the field to safety. And Anakin's well on his way."

"I can't wait for this campaign to be over." Wolffe growled and eased into Kenobi's hold.

The explosions were very thorough, even from up here the heat penetrated Cody's armor, it went on for a spectacularly long time. By the time they were finished some of the shinys had figured out how to walk on force holding them which Cody assumed was distracting but Kenobi didn't seem bothered, just serene and meditative. His head glistened with sweat, which had nothing to do with the heat, and his body shuddered with the taxing which was placed on it. Cody watched him, silently willing him not to drop them. Wolffe stayed still next to Cody, still and tense. Finally they descended, weaving away from the field and to the edge of it.

Wolffe stayed flattened on the ground well after they landed. Obi-Wan sank to the ground and into a cross-legged seating with his eyes closed as the last of the 212th and 104th platoons found their footing.

"Let's do it again!" Someone cried, jovial in the face of death.

Wolffe groaned and leaned to the side and pulled off his helmet. He dropped his mouth open and a puddle of grey bile spilled from the corner of his mouth and onto the lush ground. Cody suddenly prided himself for his lack of height phobia--he'd always had the higher bunks back on Kamino anyways.

Cody straightened himself out as the troopers started gathering. Cody helped Wolffe up as General Plo Koon walked toward them, like Obi-Wan he was vibrating softly with exhaustion but unlike Obi-Wan he was not immobile while cross-legged.

"General Koon." Cody greeted for both himself and an incapacitated Wolffe.

Koon nodded at him before checking on his fellow Jedi then moving to Wolffe to put an arm around his shoulder for support. "Still have a thing with heights commander?" He teased.

"It’s not the height, it’s the nonexistent... _stuff_ that does it."

Cody filtered Wolffe's extensive complaining and walked in line with Obi-Wan. 

"We cannot go back onto that field until we know what we're dealing with."

"Anakin contacted Coruscant. The Chancellor is sending in an elite squad of hackers."

Cody furrowed his brow. "Is that necessary?"

Obi-Wan shrugged loosely. "I think that we are more than capable of disabling the device but the Chancellor has made a decision."

"But why sir?" Cody stood a little straighter. "Excuse my... being out of line but I don't think the Chancellor should have a say."

Obi-Wan stopped walking and raised a curious brow at Cody. "Go on." He urged.

"He may have emergency powers but he's not on the he battlefield. He should at least consult with the captains and commanders before making such a decision." He left off his disdain of Skywalker being the consultant, he hadnt even been on the field yet. Cody suddely realized the tone of ungratefulness his voice had held and quickly added, "I'm not saying it's a bad decision, just that it's unnecessary."

"I'll advise Anakin on his inclusiveness for future reference." Obi-Wan said thoughtfully--everything he said was thoughtful. "For now we're taking in the elite squad. I'll find a salvageable datapad to give you a rundown."

Cody saluted his general before focusing back on his and Wolffe's men. They were all unscathed, a bit queasy but unfazed mostly. Cody searched the crowd for a certain trooper and once location was acquired he walked towards him casually.

* * *

3216's stomach flipped as he continued to familiarize himself with the ground. He made his best attempt not to engage himself with thoughts of the experience he went through--to nostalgic, nostalgica wasn't good.

"3216."

3216 turned to the voice and stood a little straighter out of forced habit as he recognized the clone as a marshal commander from the yellow dotted insignia on his armor. Commander Cody of the 212th. He was highly unremarkable for a commander, aside from his insignia and scar he had nothing that made him stand out from his men. Not a kama or pouldron. He didn't wear a helmet but if 3216 had to guess he'd probably say it was just like the rest of theirs.

"Commander." It came out a little more hesitant than he intended, that was his awareness that he had nearly compromised the integrity of the two platoons and their commanders. He clenched his gloved nails into his palms to control the beginnings of a unwarranted tremble. He stood taller with false confidence behind his visor. "Commander Cody."

"CT-3216." Cody said tightly, 3216 reminded himself of the danger he had put this man's men in and shrunk a little. "How long have you been part of the GAR?"

The commander was getting somewhere with this. "A year and a half sir."

"How old are you trooper?"

3216 swallowed carefully. "Nearly 11 sir." He decided to have a jab at humor. "You'd find I look younger than I am."

Humor was bitter on his tongue, it reminded him of Quip--04-2317--he had been the joker of their battalion. He swatted that fact to the back of his head and focused to try and keep himself from going. His vision distorted and he rolled onto his heels before steadying and recoil in from the commander as if diseased. The world was distant, so much larger than he could have imagined, so much more...intimidating.

"3216?" The voice helped to steady him but it was too similar he couldn't hold on. "3216?"

A hand on his shoulder and then he was yanked back. His mind's eye was just beyond an arms reach, too far for him to reach even as he answered the commander. "I'm fine." His voice was hollow and distant to his ears. 

"You don't seem fine." The commander clutched 3216's helmet and lifted off his head. The air cooled the beads of sweat on his forehead and forced him to focus. Cody hissed at the sight of his abominable scars. "Are you okay?"

3216 knew he wasn't talking about his scars. "They healed already."

Cody rolled his eyes. "I wasn't talking about your scars."

3216 took his helmet from Cody and dropped his head. The knot that his grown-out hair had been tied into was coming loose and unraveled at the back of his neck.

"What happened back there? Why'd you step forward?"

3216's vision drifted to over Cody's shoulder before being corrected as Cody shook him. "You endangered the life of all these brothers around us."

3216 scrunched his brows as he tried to keep hisself grounded. "Don't we do that everyday?"

Cody's gaze turned hard. "Not for nothing."

"I didn't know." 3216 muttered meekly.

"Observe! Observe and analyze. It might help." The commander's quick turn caused 3216 to stumble back as the hands on his shoulders moved. "Try not to get in the way until I pass you back to Rex."

3216 shoved his helmet on and sank to the ground until he was on his back. The cool ground permeated his warm armor and hammered him back into his body, securing his grounding. He breathed out a shaky breath and and turned his head against the ill-aligned hair under his helmet. His heart beat in his ears and throat as he replayed the last half hour in his head. Habitually he ended the reminiscence as he dared to start drifting again. 

"He's just passionate you know."

3216 twitched at the sound of another clone speaking directly to him. He shut his eyes and tried to ease into comfort on the uneven ground. The coolness had fled and it no longer served as a comfort. 

"It's Tion by the way." 3216 knew that.

"I nearly killed you and a bunch of your brothers, go find a more reliable friend."

3216 heard Tion ease next to him. "You are reliable."

3216 hated his calm and reassuring voice, it reminded him of the Kaminoans when ever they were going to do something that may have been potentially harmful. The empty pit in his stomach widened and his breath hitched. He needed to get his reactions together, it wasn't that big a deal. 

"Stop lying to yourself."

Tion didn't reply to that but instead turned back to questioning. "Do you like being part of a battalion?"

"Do I know anything else?"

"I don't know. _Do_ you?"

3216 had always been with a large group of troopers, it was only recently that he'd begun to crave isolation but he could not have that or pretend to, especially with troopers like Tion. "No."

"Do you wish you did?"

3216 rubbed his fingers idly across his arm guard, he'd gotten no sympathy then and no sympathy now. He remembered how supportive his brothers were when it was him first and then slowly it happened to them too. 300 broken troopers was no good. Most of them had been reconditioned at least twice. It was like the 782nd was a dump hole for the young, reconditioned clones and a messed up general to match. His only experience with a battalion had been something he constantly repressed and withheld--he was the last of a failed operation that didn't really even outlive.

"No." He lied.

* * *

Wolffe's head pounded against the residual heat in the air. His mouth still tasted of bitter regurgitation and the smell continued to waft into his nostrils despite the lack of his helmet. General Plo hadn't mention the bad smell so it was either he was too polite or it wasn't as bad as Wolffe thought--likely the former.

Plo Koon had briefed Wolffe for a few moments, a few things about what was going to play out. General Skywalker was going to be joining them, Wolffe just hoped he doesn't bring along his insufferable R2 unit. The elite squad, unnecessary. The aerial crew, welcome.

"I've got a rough mapping of the field commander!" Walker ran up to Wolffe with a datapad, a wee bit scratched but otherwise unharmed, drawing Wolffe from his thoughts. "The transmitter is powered down and--I'm not for sure--but I think it is flexing and easy to trigger. We won't be able to get in without aerial and still that might trigger unseen explosives."

Wolffe opened his mouth to reply but Walker continued. "From what I can tell, the machine is a weapon itself. It's compact and rooted to the ground for all we know it could take the whole planet down."

"Stop. Give me a second Walker." Wolffe breathed out. "We've got aerial backup coming in and an elite squad. Find the Sarge and set up camp. We cannot advance further today, we're taking the night."

Walker squinted at him as if disoriented. "What?"

Wolffe dodged Walker as he reached for his shoulder. _"You_ need the rest."

"No. I'm good. Why are we taking the night? We've got a job to do."

Wolffe jabbed a thumb behind him. "We can't get past that until we get backup. Might as well rest."

Wolffe felt like checking him for wounds that wound inflict confusion and disorientation but as he watched Walker he realized he was just super tired. His eyelids drooped slightly and his head hung. His eyes were bloodshot and erratic.

"How long have you been awake?"

"I dunno. Gera didn't take shift."

Wolffe's face softened a tad as he took hold of the other trooper's face. "Gera died in the last battle Walker. Jan is taking this shift. Go to sleep, that's an order."

"Yes Sir." He began to walk away, a stark contrast to the forced energy he had a few minutes ago, suddenly he looked back. "I know Gera is dead commander."

Wolffe listened to his and Cody's troopers shift restlessly in their sleep as he perched on a small rock. The occasional click of a rifle being played with or reloaded. At this rate no one would be rested by the time the action's back up. Wolffe turned quickly as Cody climbed up the side of the rock. He had been with Kenobi in the all-terrain for the last hour.

"Has any of yours been distracted?" Cody asked--his voice was dull but he looked energetic but then again so did a lot of Wolffe's men who were on the verge of a sleep-deprived mental break. 

"Yes, and sleepy, very sleepy." It's proving to be a real problem.

"What's he doing?" Cody pointed at the 104th general who was walking around to each trooper and stopping at some and trading his fingers on their heads.

"Calming them. It helps the more restless sleep."

"He'll need sleep too you know."

Wolffe shrugged. "Tried. Jedi are just stubborn like that. He said he rested already."

"I'm here for next watch by the way. Appo said you can rest in the walker of you want."

"I'm not--" He stopped himself from his hypocrisy. "That would be nice."

"I'll switch out in an hour." Cody assured him as Wolffe got down from his perch. "Get sleep.

Wolffe left to his tent and laid on the bare ground right outside of it. The unevenness would make it easy to wake up and be alert. He didn't remove any of his armor aside from his kama, pouldron and helmet and still he felt bare. He molded himself to the ground by the he time sleep hit him and it was the uneasy sleep every clone shared, whether a Jedi calmed them or not.

* * *

Rex woke with a start from his usual dreamless half-sleep, eventually he'd actually fall deep enough to dream but it he'd held on unhealthily so far. He caught himself nearly tripping over his feet as he woke, he was still standing against a walker's leg. The metal had bit uncomfortably into his bare back and shoulder but he ignored the discomfort and leaned off of it. His torso armor was stacked neatly next to his feet and he'd nearly tripped again as he looked for what had disturbed him, it might've been nothing but it was likely it was something--it was that dammed nagging in the back of his head.

The camp was hushed with light snoring. They had positioned the scout transports in a kind-of circle around the set-up camp. Many of the 501st slept in pairs around the legs of the walkers around behind them rather than in tents. Some of them shivered in their light-weight sleeping bags without their full armor covering their blacks. 

Rex strapped his arm guards on and blinked the haziness out of his eyes. He reveled in the quietness for a while, it didn't quite hit as hard as it did the first time he experienced it but it was still amazing. Quietness was rare, nearly myth, to the clone troopers. Nearly every waking moment is spent with dozens of brothers and if not, democrats, politicians and Jedi. It was a loud life. He walked through the muted sounds with serene strides that wonderfully masked his sleepiness. He chuckled as he passed a deadweight Kix who was half out of the tent he shared with Steer and Steev, too unconcious to tell Rex to go to sleep, he used to bunk with Jesse but that had been limited since Jesse's promotion to ARC trooper though Rex thought Jesse would be there since he was on this campaign.

"I'd say it's creepy to watch them sleep but it's oddly serene." Rex rolled his eyes at Anakin's alert voice. "Something bothering you?"

"Yeah." He put a hand to the back of his neck and turned around. "My neck, you could have woken me if I looked uncomfortable."

"You didn't."

"Well I'm uncomfortable now." Rex scoffed lightly.

"I thought you'd be out for the night."

Rex quirked an eyebrow at his general. "Standing up?"

"I've seen you do it before." Anakin made a suspicious face. "Kix said I should be worried, should I?"

Rex looked at the sleeping medic. "He's the medic."

"Then maybe you should lay down somewhere."

"Something woke me." Rex looked around again. The nagging was persistent and unmerciful. "It probably was nothing."

"It's probably the uneven leg you were leaning against."

"Or maybe it was that scout." Rex pulled out his dual pistols and ran towards the trees before Skywalker could react but did catch a comment on his recklessness which was rich coming from the impulsive Jedi.

Rex dodged his sleeping brothers clumsily but cleared the camp rather quickly. The scout spotted him just as he exited the clearing but Rex got to him before he had time to react. He jumped him from behind and put two into what appeared to be its head. The feel and weight of it suggested it was a being but the emitted smoke smelled of rusted metal.

Rex stepped away from it and allowed it to fall to the ground only for it not to. The smoking head stayed upright and turned so it faced Rex. The blasts hadn't even gone through! Rex caught sight of the scorch marks where his shots had hit but other than that the... skin was unharmed. 

"What the..."

"Curious isn't it." Anakin commented, suddenly besides him with his saber at ready. 

The face of the thing was covered in a resin mask that seemed to prevent speech. Anakin stepped close to it just as it pulled out a vibroblades knife. Rex realized suddenly that the body shape was distinctly female as he began firing shots as Anakin engaged the perpetrator. 

Rex took a low shot that hit a leg and green blood oozed into a section of moonlight which she proceeded to kneel into from her injury. Rex fired another round into her thigh and she dropped to the ground hissing in pain but continued to keep her blade defensive against Anakin.

Rex walked up to Anakin who now held his saber close enough to broil the woman's throat had it not been completely covered in metal that seamlessly molded with her skin, the saber would cut through it but it'd resist. Rex wondered why her entire body wasn't covered in it if her neck and head.

"Who are you?" Skywalker growled. "And what do you want?"

Rex aimed his pistols as if she'd need the extra encouragement.

"This is war." The woman spat beneath her mask. "You really think I'll tell you that."

"Ain't never seen a seppy like you before." Rex commented.

The woman's eyes arched as if unimpressed but contemplating. "I'm a bounty hunter _clone."_

Rex felt like giving her one just for her tone. "Then you have no side in this war." But she might be allies with the enemy.

"It's good pay." She quipped. 

Anakin glanced at Rex. "Why do they always work for the bad ones?"

"Might be a bounty hunter thing." Rex shrugged and turned to the kneeled woman who he made out to be Clawdite. "What's your assignment."

She smirked. "Just updates for a rather large price." She traced a finger down the back of her head. "Pure Beskar. Lots of it."

"What have you told them so far?"

The metal in her head glinted as she shifted to get off her injured leg. "Been at it since the beginning of this campaign."

"And who's installing the stuff into your skin?"

Her covered face seemed to stretch into a smile based on the movement of her eyes. "A girl doesn't tell her methods."

Anakin stepped forward suddenly and locked eyes with her. "You are aborting this assignment and are happy with the received payment." His voice was accompanied by the waving of his hand.

The bounty hunters face fell slack under the mask and her alien eyes glazed over as she repeated Anakin's request rather doubtfully. The Jedi repeated the trick and she stood up rather painfully and holstered her blade before disappearing into trees.

Rex rolled his eyes at his general who was dusting his shoulders of whilst looking at his nails. "Simple and easy." Anakin mused.

They walked back to the camp silently. Much to Rex's annoyance Appo was waiting for them at the all terrain transport. "General. Captain." His voice considerably loosened with Rex's title. 

"What did you miss us Appo?" Anakin gave the commander a hearty slap on his unarmored shoulder which caused him to flinch a little. 

"Just wondering if I should be worried. Heard a few distant shots. Seppys might be closing in." He said uneasily. 

Rex smirked. "And shooting what all the way out there?" He gave a joking dismissive wave. "Everything's fine, just a scout the general and I took out."

Although Appo was of higher status he looked a tad bit intimidated by a captain. Rex gave him what he hoped was an encouraging smile before picking up the test of his armor next to the walker. He tried to dip off to find somewhere to half-sleep but realized his general tagging him as he found a nice uncomfortable rock.

"I'll take watch." Rex said tiredly, he didn't feel like explaining his position.

"Appo's on watch." Anakin said as he settled next to Rex on his pointy rock.

"Hasn't he been on watch since yesterday?" Rex asked idly.

"I was on watch." That was new.

Rex nodded his head seriously. "I can still take watch." He said finally. "Two pairs are better than one. Maybe you should get rest, you've been up all night."

"You haven't been better off." Anakin said surely.

Rex jabbed his thumb towards the camp. "I slept on the leg."

Anakin raised his eyes as if Rex was challenging. "And how was your sleep?"

The leg had left a dent in his skin, he was sure of it.

Rex folded his arms defiantly even as a headache hit him mercilessly. "Just swell."

Anakin frowned and leaned off the rock. "Fine. Don't pass out tomorrow."

Rex watched Skywalker's receding back until he disappeared around a tent before leaning on his rock. For the first time he realized how light the sky had gotten. He could still see the stars and a few moons but they were faint in the growing light. They'd have to start moving in a few hours--tomorrow might as well already been there. He fiddled with his armor just to have something to do and ended up fully dressed. He eased himself into a rested state and leaned his head back next to where he had set his helmet and prayed as he did every time he rested. _Let this not be the day I stay asleep._

* * *

Kix heard when Rex and the general had gone by for the second time. He still held himself still, not to fool anyone but to try and force himself to sleep. The wind whispered in his ears as if trying to calm him too. He chided himself as he shifted discomfort out of his leg and tried again to sleep. It had been easier to when Jesse's back was to his own. It was how most of them slept but it was different with the wrong brothers. Kix wasn't sure Jesse was even sleeping but he'd be dammed of he was. Jesse was probably in a wallet only half asleep and on a semi-watch. Kix snickered to himself as he imagined Jesse's open-eyed sleep. 

After shifting twice more he gave up on sleep and curled back into the tent to sit up in a corner. He envied the deep sleep Steer and Steev reveled in side by side, their breathing alternating but level. Kix found his pack in the lightening darkness and pulled out his holo pad, the screen shouted a list of the injured and the dead which he had composed himself. Most of what he wrote down was birth numbers which he got from their identity chips. There were too many names to remember, most of the numbers belonged to shinys and a few from recon troopers--which was surprising. 

Kix moved past the record and to his extracurricular pages. Stupid bucket lists and post-war aspirations. Jesse's sketches. Older ones from when he had been designing his tattoo and haircut which had been all but forgotten in the past few months. He swiped through his personal recordings of the occasional recreation he indulged in until the glow of the hologram burned liquid into his eyes. He closed the screen off at a picture of the Torrent Company in front of the GAR headquarter. That picture was taken two weeks before Fives had died--they had been lucky enough to have him present at the time even if he was just a tattooed forehead behind Rex and Jesse.

He set his pad down. _It'll be a nice picture to look at next time I open it._ He thought to himself. 

He turned suddenly as a few voice sounded from outside his tent. How long had it been? He poked his head out the tent to see significant lighting had lit the sky. Many of the tents were emitting combat-ready troopers even if nothing would be happening for another half-hour or so. Kix didn't see the general or their captain but he knew they'd be around soon. Steev and Ate shifted in their sleeping bags as the aura of wakefulness wafted around the camp. Kix dressed himself in his armor and repacked his medkit below slinging it on his back.

Walkers were being refueled and weapons configured. Troopers moved back and forth, quiet was a myth now.

"Kix?"

Kix turned at the low voice he immediately knew to be Jesse's. He turned around with a crazed grin which quickly fell. "This is the first campaign we've been on in months and you didn't come to see me until now." He accused.

Jesse's face was solemn and he cast his gaze downwards. "You haven't come to see me either."

Kix paused for a minute. "I called for you back at the base. You didn't hear me?"

He had called for him over the loudness of the test of the troopers. He might not have heard him. Jesse shook his head and held his bottom lip under his teeth. His eyes found his helmet design quite interesting and stared at it as his fingers danced over it lightly. Kix knocked the helmet out of the way, dropping his own and enveloped his brother in a crushing hug.

"You can't not reach out to me for that long." He said before pulling away and handing Jesse's helmet back from the ground. 

Jesse smiled. "I got it."

They placed their helmets on simultaneously and looked at eachother through the T-Visors and turned to attention as General Skywalker walked towards the company with Captain Rex.

"The Ghost Company and Wildfire's Platoon are gridlocked so this assignment has been rearranged. Tanner, Ops, Jon, Steev and Errol take the more troopers to keep this base. The rest of its are going in as reinforcements." The named troopers nodded at the General and dispersed. "We're going to be working with an elite force of commandos so be ready for foreign tactics. We'll know more when we join Generals Koon and Kenobi."

General Skywalker walked away dismissively to line troops. Kix and Jesse joined their ranks. An ARC and Chief Medic weren't going to be left behind to keep a base secure. They were so close to retaking Onderon, this bar wouldn't be as much of a loss for the Republic but Cody's base would be. 

"Tonic and Kix you will be joining Helix when we arrive, they'll need assistance." Skywalker turned to Rex and gave him an order which he nodded to that Kix didn't catch before turning back to them. "The rest of you will be given positions as the High General sees fit."

The lined troops nodded in unison as if just graduated from Kamino, Jesse and Kix included. Some habits die hard. 

"May the force be with us."


	3. Onderon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. I HAD to bring the Bad Batch into this. I need my boy Echo to be present for this story even if it is for a few chapters. I'm not going by the canonical timeline so the war might go for a longer time. \\_(-_-)_/

Rex immediately went to find Cody as soon as they reached the 104th and 212th's temporary camp. He was speaking with general Kenobi and Wolffe when Rex reached him so he stood to the side until the commander finished going over what appeared to be a rough mapping of the terrain ahead. Rex watched quietly as Wolffe and Cody's troops stopped his own from walking farther than the clearing, something about explosives.

Cody came over till him with a mock begrudging face, Rex had to smile, Cody was among the few clones that hadn't spiraled into a pit of longing or despair. 

"I thought you had this under control." Rex said smugly. 

Cody rolled his eyes and shifted his helmet under his arm. "What a way of greeting." He mused. "It's good to see you alive too brother."

Rex gave him a pat on his shoulder. "It is." He was totally serious.

Cody turned serious too and turned to face what was beyond their clearing. He arced his arm in a wide semi-circle, motioning to the area. "It's littered with explosives. If we step in the radius--don't know how far, don't ask--everything goes ka-boom."

Rex knitted his brow and shrugged. "Just disable them from the air."

Cody cocked his head at his friend. "You think it'll be that easy?" He didn't wait for an answer. "We have to approach with caution, it might be able to be triggered without physical touch."

"That's why you need the elite squad." Rex realized. "Which ones."

Cody gave a knowing smile. "The Bad Batch."

_Echo_. Rex nodded calmly. "Nice choice."

"It wasn't my choice." Cody smirked.

The Bad Batch arrived in their usual chaos with Crosshair piloting. The camp had to disperse to allow their modified gunship's landing which embedded it's feet into soft ground. Rex watched with anticipation by Cody's side who sighed defeatedly as Wrecker came out first with a loud and disruptive. "Someone called!"

Hunter came out second with Crosshair close behind. Rex couldn't help as the clone cyborg walked out and locked eyes with him, mirroring his smile, from besides Tech who was bowed over his datapad which had code running over it. Still he twitched when he was reminded of what the Techno Union had done. Rex couldn't help but notice a wire connecting Echo's head to the datapad which Tech quickly removed having finalized whatever he was working on. 

"Commander Cody." Hunter nodded then tightened his voice. "Captain Rex."

"Sergeant Hunter."

Crosshair spoke from behind him around his signature tooth pick. "Is this a catch-up call with your old buddy or are you going to get to the point? There are a bunch of elite squad out there. Please don't tell me typy called us for some good old nostalgia with your friend."

Cody sighed again which earned him an indifferent glance from the tooth-pick-wielder. Then Cody smiled. "We've got a real problem for you ask to sort out."

Rex noticed them come to attention. They listened as Cody laid out the terrain and the situation then nodded their understandment.

"So can we blow it up?" Wrecker enthused.

Cody's eyes disappeared in his head for a moment before he turned to the trigger-happy clone's Sergeant. "Help him will you?" He groaned. 

"Of course we'll have to see a demonstration or at least a simulation of the reaction." Tech began rattling off different specifics that they'd have to provide. 

Rex diverged from the small gathering much to Cody's dismay and was pleased to see Echo follow him.

"You just couldn't wait could you?" Echo asked when they were a distance away from his Merry Band.

Rex held up yielding hands. "This wasn't my idea." He laughed lightly, he realized he hadn't done that much often. 

"Of course it wasn't." Echo's sallow face stretched as he made a smug but submissive face which he meant as Rex. "No distractions in a war. No _fraternization_."

Rex screwed up his face and rolled his eyes. They smiled a moment before turning solemn. 

"How's the Bad Batch?"

Echo shrugged. "They aren't rethinking their idea to take me in, so..." He looked up at Rex from where he nudged his foot in the ground. "How's the battalion? Hope no one missed me too much."

His attempt at humor was in vain--much like how Fives' used to be. It gave Rex a quick stab of sadness which passed nearly immediately, no time for that. 

"Ah, who am I kidding. None of them remember me. It's quite satisfying how that works."

Rex raised his eyebrows at Echo's dismissal of himself. "Of course we remember you." He reassured. 

Sure Rex remembered him and Fives had, but the rest of them would've moved on without a hitch, even the ones he had been slightly more closer to. That was how war worked Rex knew but it still saddened him to hear just how much of an effect it had, especially in such blunt and knowing speech.

Echo gave a half smile. "No matter sir. It makes being with the bad batch easier anyways." He didn't go into any more detail but instead put his helmet on over a fallen face which Rex briefly caught and advised, "We should get to work captain."

Rex nodded, aware and replaced his helmet as Echo had before trudging, with Echo slightly behind, back to the camp.

Rex stood silently with his weapon drawn and ready next to Hunter and Cody. He realized how achingly familiar (though mostly dissimilar) it was to the events that had led them to Skako Minor which led to Echo. He shrugged the silly feeling off and paid attention to the ground far below them. The howling of the wind as they circled overt the field with the gunship's doors open was a pleasant distraction from the quick beating of his heart--it shouldn't have been beating so hard but it was happening more and more lately. He figured he'd take it to Kix of it became a problem. 

"I'm not scanning any abnormal readings!" Tech said over the din of the blowing winds. "Not scanning any normal readings either! There's... there's actually not anything there to be read!"

"Might want to be a little more specific Tech!" Cody huffed.

"I am being specific! There are no readings, we should be able to drop down without triggering anything!" He squinted at his screen and seemed to read something before looking up. "There aren't even any dormant waves of any kind, neither transmitting or receiving!"

Rex released his trigger-finger, he was getting tense. "That's not good enough Tech. We're maybe trying not to potentially blow Onderon to pieces."

Tech nodded and looked at a 3D mapping of the ground. "Technically it's not even big enough to take a significant portion of the planet!" He turned to Wrecker. "Nothing like the Pound on Mygeeto. Collapsed the ground in on itself. We didn't even get that one."

If Rex recalled _that one_ was taken by the Renegade Company who had joined them during that campaign, they had been a lot more civil than the Bad Batch if he was being entirely honest.

"I'm sure it could take the ground if that's what it was _for!_ " Cody said.

"Ugh! It's just explosives, nothing special." Hunter commented while looking over Tech's shoulder. Wrecker made an excited sort of noise that worried Rex a little. "What do you need _us_ for?"

"What's interesting is--could someone please close the doors?" Rex notified their pilot and Tech continued. "What's interesting is the activation medium. The transmitting signal you speak of can be switched on and of but, telling from the model, it cannot be switched on manually but is switched on by movement. It's fascinating."

Cody tilted his head a little. "Koon had physically touched it and it didn't turn on for a minute--"

"--an exact minute or is that a figure of speech?" Tech interjected. 

"--he was able to get very close without anything reacting... maybe it isn't fixed." Cody finished thoughtfully--blissfully ignoring Tech's question which he repeated.

Cody turned to Tech, Rex could imagine his face of exasperation to match the huff he gave. "It's a figure of speech."

Tech nodded, completely and obliviously serious. "It might be a fluctuating signal." He stood up straight and removed his eyes from the tablet. "There isn't enough information for me to make an accurate analyzation. I'd need to actually be down there."

"Did you miss the part where it's dangerous?" Rex groaned.

"Hey." Crosshair always got into it. "You needed us for this; we're here, so let us do this our way."

"And what? Run right into a bunch of bombs? You should think about this first. Get more information." Rex encouraged. 

"Tech can't get any more information from up here." Crosshair argued.

Rex breathed out with stark disbelief as Hunter carefully lowered Tech with closer range of the transmitter. Rex could feel Cody's rigid disappointment as he waited for Tech to trip something but nothing had happened so far.

"That's a lot of radiation." Came Tech's muffled mutter through the comms--Rex had requested that his comm be on.

"Could you focus?" Cody asked harshly.

"He is focusing!" Wrecker bellowed. "He just talks a lot!"

"Let's see." Tech said.

The cord that held Tech to Hunter (who was tethered to the gunship) started shifting as Tech arranged his position down below. His scanners would be able to generate a better model and give him a lot more information. Rex tapped his foot waiting.

A few minutes later Tech spoke again. "Okay you can being me up."

After a slight struggle Tech's boys hit the floor of the gunship and the doors closed with the ship returning to it's wide arcing motion. "I've got an analysis and a few complications."

* * *

Kix's foot bounced as he focused on Jesse from across the camp. He was unusually quiet. He had seemed fine earlier but at the moment he was hunched over his knees with a steady frown pulling his lips. He was being distant--literally.

Kix stood up with determination and went to march over to Jesse but Tonic stopped him on his path, his expression fixed.

"Is something wrong? I'm pretty sure the fighting hasn't started yet."

"General Skywalker wants to speak to you." Tonic said.

Kix pointed to his comm. "He couldn't have commed me?"

Tonic shrugged. "He said he couldn't reach you."

Tonic pointed Kix in the General's direction and he walked off after a glance at Jesse who had dissappeared. He fiddled with his comm which emitted static before shutting down.

General Skywalker was sitting with Kenobi and sorting the dirt from the rocks in front of him. He stood when he saw him approach and Kix tucked his helmet under his arm. 

"You called General?"

"Is you're comm out?"

Kix tapped it and was again rewarded with static. "Yes Sir."

"Huh." He breathed. "Whatever. You will be accompanying me and Rex along with Squad 99 and a few of the Torrent to hold this front until we can get that transmitter disabled."

"But I thought I wouldn't be deployed until after it was disabled. I can't treat a transmitter--" Kix paused. "Isn't this front secured sir?"

"Tech spied a squad of clankers not far off."

"Waiting for us to get through?" Kix inquired.

"Don't think too much on it, that's Rex and Appo's job." He cast a sideways glance at his former master. "I find it makes my head hurt."

"When do we deploy sir?"

Skywalker nodded to a cluster of dark-coloured armor. "As soon as they're ready."

Kix noticed Cody's severe hesitancy as they lowered onto the field covered in bits of ash and metal shards, it even seeped into his head and he retracted his feet for a second. When they were firmly in the ground Kix let out a relieved breath when nothing happened though the 212th commander still stood tense. Kix undid his medkit from his pack--he supposed he might need it soon.

Tech moved towards the transmitter while Kix and the other troopers dispersed slightly. Kix was on high alert but he neither hard nor saw any clankers yet. His pack hung from his forearm by one strap and he held his 15B level. He walked alongside troopers Trip and Catch who nudged pieces of littered debris every so often.

"Glad I didn't see this one." Kix muttered.

"Jax said Kenobi and Koon saved them." Catch commented, Jax was a 104th trooper. "Pulled them right up in the air."

Trip shuddered and made a weird noise.

Catch shrugged. "I say it sounds fun."

Kix looked over to where squad 99 and Commander Cody were hunched, it didn't seem like any progress was being made by them. Kix was about to move when the unmistakable sound of a blaster cut through the air followed by the grunt of a trooper. Kix broke into a run and Catch and Jax followed suit as quick fire was traded in the close distance. Captain Rex converged with the trio and motioned Kix to the first injured trooper they passed. 

Sprain had been shot twice in essentially the same spot--lower right torso. Blood seeped out around the shattered white armor which irritated the wound painfully. A stabilizer clotted the blood and cauterized the wound slightly but it still gaped open. 

"Bad news or good news trooper?" Kix asked as he worked. 

"Bad news." Sprain groaned as Kix's fingers worked on the bloody laceration. 

"You got shot twice." Kix chuckled. "But you'll live. You'll be back on the battlefield in a couple of months."

Sprain smiled painfully and eased his own head out of his helmet. "I guess that is good news."

Kix reeled back suddenly as Sprain's smile faded and his face went slack as a smoking hole opened on his bare head. Should've kept the damn helmet on! Kix chided Sprain's decision silently as he stood up, grabbing his blaster before stepping back to the shade of a tree--searching for the source of the blast that had taken Sprain's life, taken his couple-month-healing-vacation.

The droid was in a small clearing with a sniper rifle. Kix sighed at the sight, maybe at the way it looked so human or because he'd been through this infinity too many times. He lifted his 15A and stepped over Sprain (realizing his right wrist was reinforced again because he had sprained it once again which he did often) and took aim. The hole in the droid's skull smoked and left an ashy trail as it fell back, it's rifle clattering to the ground. 

Kix took a moment to take a deep breath. Trip and Catch weren't with him but the firing hadn't stopped. He realized suddenly that he could hear a lot of gunfire. A full battle had started. He gathered his bearings in an instant and sprinted towards the sound of battle while slinging his pack back onto his back. He easily slipped into the battle--cover-firing for Trip and advancing to where an empty spot gaped, a fallen trooper had left it. His positioning was instinctual; the place was blank, he filled it. He was also unprotected. He slammed himself to the ground as a blasts rained towards him.

He moved to stand up after a moment before his Captain's voice cut through the fire. "Take cover!"

There were 10 troopers and too many droids for them. Could Tech not see just how many there were? It was practically an ambush.

"We need a few more men." Trip gasped besides Rex who had taken cover with Kix and Trip behind a large tree. 

"They're on their way." Rex assured.

Kix readjusted his helmet which had gone all wonky because he hadn't set it on his head correctly in his rush. Trip pulled off a detonator from his belt and handed it to Kix after realizing that he didn't have a clear throw. Kix took it in his hand and activated it. For a time enough for a hiccup he explored if he were to not throw it. It was when Rex shifted uncertainly that he let go of his throw and sent it sailing through the air.

He didn't look at either Trip nor Rex as they crouched even lower against the blast. If he was lucky, they didn't even see the hesitation--it'd only lasted a second. He rocked uneasily on his feet as a secondary blast shook the ground; that wasn't right. The blast was is own separate charge. Kix looked with Rex and Trip to the distance before jumping up and diving into the trees as white hot explosions shook Onderon. He'd be surprised if it wasn't felt all the way near the city they were actively defending. 

The three of them hit the ground running and were even joined by two other scorched troopers. Rex steadied his feet long before Kix's head even stopped pounding. Kix was faintly aware of Rex trying to connect with General Skywalker's frequency as his mind turned to Jesse like clockwork. He would've been much closer to the explosions which he realized were still happening. His heart skipped a beat with each of the colorful noises, the reality of Jesse's possible death promising no penetration until the worst of times.

Kix was dragged from the brink of despair by Rex's loud swear. His comm blinked to signal no connection to the general. He probably was okay, how funny is was that his possible death refused to impact the medic--reason being he was a Jedi. Jesse wasn't, he was a clone trooper--another number eliminated, no need to dwell on it.

Kix jumped when his comm vibrated his arm and he connected. "Kix?" Came Jesse's unmistakable drawl--an increasingly easy to detect difference in his voice.

"Jesse!" Kix glanced at Rex before calming his over-worked nerves. "Is the General with you?"

"No." Rex deflated a little. "He's gone off to find Rex, his comm was damaged."

"Let's hope he's going in the right direction." Rex muttered just as Skywalker broke through the trees.

"Rex?"

"General."

"How many troopers do you have accounted for?"

Rex motioned to Kix, Trip and the other two troopers. "Just us sir."

The general nodded and told them to stay there before running off again. Kix sunk to the ground, his battle adrenaline was wearing off. He clenched his fists and removed his pack to lean against a nearby tree. Rex moved to support him but he held up a hand for him to not. 

"Are you injured?" Rex asked while he crouched in front of him.

"No. I'm fine."

Rex backed off but stayed alert, pertaining to Kix's health. Ironic.

It's a few minutes before General Skywalker comes back followed by Jesse and a few other troopers. Trip rejoined with Catch and Jesse moved immediately to Kix who was relieved of Rex. Jesse didn't really say anything but silently sat next to his brother. 

"Where's the Bad Batch and Echo?" They hadn't truly thought of him as one of the batch yet. 

"They went back to base. They were able to dismantle the transmitter but it had to have one last transmission."

Kix chuckled humorously. "That's what that was."

For a moment he zoned out as and is oddly falling into a semi-sleep when he's disturbed by a slight tremble. He jerked up frantically and Jesse moved to clutch his arm to calm him.

"What is it?" Jesse's voice is clipped and distant.

The trembling was gone, just a faint and controlled vibration. "Nothing."

"Come on, get up. We're almost done with this campaign buddy." He sounded like he was encouraging himself as well as Kix, it doesn't matter because it worked to focus him.

Kix tried not to lean on Jesse too much as he gathered himself and picked up his pack. His breath was hot and sticky against his face underneath his mask but he didn't take it off, he probably looked completely out of it.

Jesse, thankfully, didn't leave Kix's side until they are back at the temporary camp. He thought, for a moment, he was losing it, the phantom tremble came back again while they trekked back and Kix was sure Jesse was leaning on him as much as he was him. 

The camp was ready to march and take the base when they got there and so's Kix. Kix had steadied himself as he walked and was feeling strong enough to wrangle some clankers but Jesse was reading him different. He walked him to some stacked crates of ammunition and had him sit.

"Get some rest, we're almost done here." He ordered.

Kix shook his head. "No. I'm chief medic. I have to be out there."

"Helix will lick our wounds, besides, there's so few droids here. We'll be okay."

Kix pushed Jesse's hand off his shoulder and stood. "Skywalker didn't have me come for nothing."

Jesse stepped back. "No need to get all defensive. It's just a side mission."

No, it wasn't. There was no such thing as side missions to Kix because no matter what type of mission it was there were still deaths and injuries. They still came back to haunt them in their dreams when they weren't dreaming a Jedi death by default. Every battle mattered in this war even beyond that. Don't give the Separatists not even an inch!

"You know it's not to me."

"Just stay. We won't even need luck for us all to survive. We practically won already." When Kix doesn't sit Jesse sighed heavily. "You practically collapsed back there Kix! What's it going to take for you to take a break? Your death?"

"Maybe." Kix slid past Jesse's shoulder and walked a few calming steps. "But until then I'm going to be right in line with everyone every chance I get to maybe save lives to live a in a post-war world."

That last part was a whole joke.

Jesse didn't reply and Kix walked away without turning back to him. He'd see him on the battlefield he guessed, even if it a was a five minute wipe-out.

* * *

Rex noticed Echo float near his six, falling into old habit except it wasn't his six he had back when he worked with the 501st. It was easy to focus on Echo's stability, this was a textbook battle. He seemed to still be adjusting his prosthetics and droid parts even after all this time. Rex kept close just in case Echo faltered, he barely registered the droids he was shooting down. Half-way through the battle they have to take cover and let the walkers through and Rex found himself, naturally, covering next to Echo who was looking at him from behind his visor.

"Stop letting me distract you captain." Echo said suddenly. 

Rex shook his head as an explosion echoed close by. "You're not distracting me." He didn't get distracted, he split his attention. 

Echo ignored this. "I'm doing fine, I've been doing this for a long time. This,"--he lifts his mechanical arm which had been repurposed as a splicer with a an ion disrupter built in courtesy of Tech--"won't stop me, if anything it's keeping me going."

Rex nodded and rose from his crouch to have the ongoing battle as an excuse not to continue this conversation. Echo was different now, he had to accept it. He wasn't a cadet, he hadn't been since the Rishi outpost yet Rex kept falling into his old patterns.

He dodged to the other side of the field so Echo read out of his direct view instead he watched one of his new troopers, 3216. Couldn't help out, he stood out--viciously ramming himself into droids. He was the farthest out with no backup, he'd get himself killed even with the small amount of enemy forces they were facing. Rex ran forward, firing shots here and there, until he reached 3216 and he pushed him down and to the side, rolling with him until they came to a stop.

3216 jumped up and scrambled for his weapon which Rex held in his hand, his own dual pistols in their holsters. When the trooper noticed him he stupid straight.

"Captain."

Rex sighed. "You are on a warpath out there 3216."

He shrugged. "It is a war."

"Just calm down. We can't back you up if you're dead."

"Do you always worry about individual troopers like this or do you pity me captain? I'd much rather you didn't."

Rex tossed 3216's weapon over to him. "You've got potential as a soldier, don't waste it on a death wish."

Rex jumped back into the battle without waiting for him to respond. 3216 would be either be a hard one to crack or a insanely may one to pull together. Rex preferred the latter.

"Captain! We've broken through!"

Rex raised a hand at the trooper who called that out and walked out into the complete open with his pistols ready. "Hmm. That was quick."

Troopers were still shooting down the last of the droids that were scattered around. 

"Look out!" The yell was directed towards Rex. 

Rex turned around and lifted his blasters at the droid that walked steadily towards him but his reaction was too late. In a split second another trooper butted into the droid, throwing off its aim. Rex grunted as his upper right thigh exploded with pain causing him to stumble back. He dropped to his knees and slid himself to lean against a rock. Multiple troopers were calling out his name as he looked to see the status of the droid which had shot him. 3216 stood over it and put a hole in the head before looking to find Rex. Once his eyes helmet turned in Rex's direction and he spotted him he continued towards the base. 

Rex put his pistols away and shifted his position. He hissed as he eased the ruptured thigh armor off his leg and set it to the side. 

"And Jesse told me not to come." Kix had come towards Rex shaking his head and muttering with his bucket under his arm. 

Rex relaxed as he began working on his wound, cutting the fabric to clean the wound. It was a clean laceration going across his thigh, it wasn't too deep but it was bleeding a lot. Kix muttered about Rex's carelessness as he worked. Multiple times Rex twitched his leg as Kix worked on it and was returned a slap right below his wound followed by: "Stop moving."

Once Kix tied off his bandage he replaced his helmet and commed one of his medics to retrieve Rex to bring right back to the camp.

"No it's good--"

"No!" Kix terminated his objection real quick. "You're going back to camp Captain."

His tone held that warning, I-can-demote-you threateningly and Rex related reluctantly.

"You're going to stay off it for the next few hours and you're going to get rest once we're back on the Resolute." He stood up. "We can't function with a defective captain."

Kix stood guard until two medics came with a stretcher which was unnecessary. They loaded Rex on and Kix walked away without a word. Rex got to his feet as soon as the stretcher was set down. Pain blossomed from his thigh and he complied when the two medics sat him back down. They gave him a weak sedative to ease his nerves and almost immediately his fading adrenaline rush washed away. His head pounded without the sharpening hormone and he swayed slightly as he adjusted, removing his restrictive helmet--well, restrictive in these circumstances.

They moved him to a medical tent where the wound was cleaned and redressed and then they left him to himself. He was just drifting into a comfortable rest with the cool-ish air on his face when Anakin commed him. His comm blinked steadily and he blinked back for a few moments until he registered what it meant. That was dangerous. Can't get slow. He answered the comm with a shaky press of a button and slurred an informal, "General."

"Are you high?" Came Skywalker's chuckle from the other end. The battle sounds had faded, they must've fully taken the base.

Rex cleared his throat. "Technically. I got shot."

Rex caught Anakin's suppressed snort. "You're joking."

"I let my guard down." Rex huffed. 

"You're serious." The laugh had left his voice. 

"One if the shinys--well can't really call him a shiny--3216 stopped any real damage. Anyways, you called me and not see if I was high or not."

"Just wondering where you were. Thought you'd like to see this. Wrecker damaged half the storage in his excitement but it's still enough to get the village back up and running. We're getting off this planet!"

"Uh huh." He sounded less excited then he actually was, the drug was getting to him. "I'm sure it's wonderful."

"OK yeah, I'm going to let you go now."

The connection broke and Rex eased once more, this time drifting into his just-about-asleep state. Questions floated about his mind. How could he have let an entire droid slip his recognition? How could he have gotten shot in such a simple battle. Be was bred, born and raised for this specific purpose and he got so distracted he failed to do what was expected of him. He had been relying to much on his instincts. He felt safe on the field, he should never feel safe on the battlefield, never. How could he? It was war. His false sense of safety cane from the distraction that was Echo and 3216--but mostly Echo. Maybe it was a good thing he had decided to go, maybe that's why he went. Because he could see the desperation that could lead to a spiral downward in his ori'vod.

His brain eventually became too foggy to think and he grasped for the distant and blurry wakefulness as it vanished and he fell into dreaded sleep.

_Tears wet the inside of his helmet, the course of their trail disrupted by the material--they were still falling. The DC-17s were still warm from the quadruple shots he had fired into his Jedi's back; he and Cody._

 _As if suspended in time, Rex looked to Cody who had no helmet on and wore the blank expression of a boredom. His response to his shooting Kenobi was boredom. Because this was boring, they were made to keep up with Jedi and this was so easy. So easy to take them out. They_ trusted _them. Cody didn't know, he couldn't because no one had ever told him because it was treasonous and so was ignoring the order._

But not all good soldiers follow orders! _Rex yelled silently._

 _Good soldiers follow orders. It was all in their heads, built into them like clockwork. They couldn't get rid of it._ Fives did...

Rex forcefully pulled himself from his short sleep, the dream still imprinted into the backs of his eyelids. It was different than the ones he had before, they were never centered on just him and Cody but on the backs of the Jedi as Rex shot them--as he breached their trust. 

"You're awake. Kix was starting to worry that Zar overdosed you."

Rex pulled himself up at Anakin's voice. "General?" He looked around. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Long enough for the 612th to arrive. We're out after we debrief General Reeves. So we're waiting on you."

He was still replaying his dream in his head. He forced himself to stop. It was so short for such a potentially long sleep. 

"Don't stop thinking because of me."

Rex slid his feet off the bed. He wasn't worried about Anakin's comment, he knew he would never go so far as to read his thoughts, he wouldn't break their trust. He knew he was thinking because of second nature. He could feel his thinking same a he could hear his voice.

"It was a unpleasant thought."

Anakin furrowed he brow but didn't say anything more on the topic. "We'll be debriefing in a half hour. Don't make me do this alone." He begged playfully. 

"Don't entice me sir."

Anakin dipped his head at Rex before leaving the tent (which Rex realized was not an emergency medics tent, they were back at the camp base. Rex took his time putting his armor back on, which had been stripped from him while he slept. He fleetingly wondered if he was visibly distressed as he slept. Best case scenario was that they start to worry; worst case, they question his stability. 

His right thigh plate had been replaced, a thick slab of white armor that contrasted against his dingy and battered armor which fitted him. The new piece was too stiff, not yet worn. How did he get about as a cadet and a shiny so stiffly? A whole suit of stiffness? He snaps it tight and tries not to notice the difference in his thighs. His wound was pressurized by it which was a good thing--it worked as sort of a soothing splint. He could ignore the pain it brought easier when it was tight.

The camp is nearly packed up when Rex exits the tent. The last of the 501st green-smeared gunships were leaving the atmosphere to dock the Resolute. Rex was nearly immediately apprehended by Kix as he walked across the camp.

"You shouldn't be working it to hard!" He scowled. "I'm tired to patching up old and improperly healed wounds."

Kix was worn and tired. He was tired of stubborn clone's who refused to heal correctly but that was just his reality. 

Rex held up a hand to stop him from taking him back to the tent. "I'm going to a debrief, please don't stop me. I'll rest on the Resolute like you asked. I swear."

Kix gave him the I-don't-like-it face but lets him off before boarding a gunship to the Resolute. Anakin kept the briefing quick and on topic which was something be only did with generals he hasn't met before. If they ever saw Reeves again Anakin would sure as hell show up late and goof around much to Reeves displeasure.

They are on the last to get off Onderon and Rex gave a relieved salute to the retaken planet as the gunship's doors closed. Another successful campaign and a setback for the Separatists. It was these partial things that would add up to a whole--that would get them out of this war seamlessly and then they could deal with whatever lay in victory's wake. 


	4. The Resolute

Stepping onto The Resolute was like stepping into a living nightmare of nostalgia. He could feel the cool air even without taking his helmet off. It was too identical but it was pristine, it was neat and orderly and yet that difference was what made it all the worst. He wondered what our would've been like for him if he wasn't in a battalion for defects or what now would be like of some of the defects that survived their civil siege came with him to the 501st. He was, yet again, alone. What a funny feeling for a clone surrounded by hundreds of clones. 

He walked about slightly confused at the 212th goldenrods mixed with the 501st blues. He didn't question it though, mostly because he didn't feel like communicating, he never did anymore. The barracks were silent when he got there, everyone was still worked up from just getting off a campaign, he figured he'd have a few minutes before they came storming in. He stripped his armor quickly and went to the refresher.

Sweat made his blacks stick to his back uncomfortably and he peeled them away. Without the tight material he could suddenly feel small open wounds which added blood to his sweat. He hadn't even noticed them before then. He let the nearly freezing water rinse away the blood which paled as it swirled down the drain. He stretched as old and new scars pulled his otherwise supple skin. The ones he ignored were the uniform ones around his arms, he was painfully aware of his inconsistent habits, his arm guards worked to minimize them. Stepping out from the cold shower to the warm barracks eased the goosebumps on his skin as he put on a new set of blacks.

He brought his stacked armor onto the highest bunk he could find and traced the scratches across his arm guards before fastening them on. Soldiers were coming in now. They spoke in groups loudly and didn't pay him any mind as he put away his weapon and lined up the pieces of his armor along the end of his bunk. 

Another trooper took the bunk beneath his. It was one of the Bad Batch--the odd one out. Squad 99 was hitching a ride back to Coruscant with the 501st and 3216 supposed this trooper rather rest in these barracks instead of stay with his squad. He didn't take off his armor but sat cross-legged on the bed and fiddled with his weapon. His armor wasn't dark like the rest of the bad batch but 501st white and blue. His skin was pale and sallow with implants running across it. 3216 nearly asked him about them but instead leaned on his side and let his wet hair fall over the scar on the shaven side of his head while his nails worked on the worn grooves in his forearm plates.

Sleep never really came as it should, it was more of a daze followed by a counciously fitful doze. Unlike normal he wasn't awoken by himself but another trooper. He backed up to the corner of the bunk, away from the hand that shook him.

"Hey. Calm down." It was the bad batch trooper. He sounded more annoyed than concerned. "I can't sleep."

"Obviously I can't either." 3216 whispered when the trooper went back down. 

"And that's okay." He had heard him? "It happens to the best of us."

3216 stayed quiet and still until the trooper's slightly wheezy breathing became even which is when he unfolded himself from the bunk and put his armor back on. The halls were busy--of course--but no one paid him any mind. He skipped the deserted mess hall despite not having ate since the day before and went to strip his armor of the black markings. 

The steam room was empty but full of steaming armor but he still felt exposed as he stripped himself of the no-longer-white pieces of armor. He squinted quizzically at the crusted blood on his helmet he had forgotten about. He wasn't entirely sure who's it was. Maybe Gera's, he had been near him...

He harshly scrubbed away the blood and watched as the stream loosened the dirt which began to fall in dirty rivulets. Once the dirt was off each piece he laid the pieces out and began to strip the paint. The cracked black came away easily and the armor was white again. He watched the last of the black chips wash away while his hands idly scratched at his arms through the damp fabric of his undersuit.

With out the paint and dirt the imperfect imprints he left in his armor popped out. His helmet was littered with scraped numbers and names, too many to count and too jumbled to read. His arm guards were deeply scarred, five deep and long wells that nearly went all the way through on either one. He hadn't even noticed it got that bad. He clenched his hand to stop the scratching which was starting to irritate his skin and moved to trace the scraped words lining his thigh plate, some of them Mando'a others in basic and then some were names. 

_Gridlock, Tal (blood), Tank, Amir, Sej, Dral (strong)._

Even cleaned, his armor was not nearly white with the multitude of scratches and scrapings. The marks were so numerous that his armor was rough to touch. He put his armor back on over his damp suit and walked back out into the cool hallways. The air chilled the water that clung to him and made him shiver under the dingy plates until the heating pads in his armor warmed and dried him.

When he got back to the barracks even breathing had overtook everyone but the bad batcher was gone but pieces of his armor were on the his bed. 3216 climbed up to his bunk and laid on his back, not taking the armor off this time. The smell of the chemical he used to remove the paint tickled his nose until he started drifting off feeling a bit productive having cleaned his long overdue armor but still he fell asleep to the concerning sound of the sliding of his nails in the grooves on his armor.

3216 woke with a start and a stabbing pain in his stomach. He massaged the bridge of his nose with aching fingers before looking around. The barracks were loud with troopers just hanging around. A group of the shinys were sitting with one of the older troopers painting their armor 501st blue. 3216 stayed in his bunk where he hoped they'd leave him be but the older trooper in the group still acknowledged him. 

"Hey. You're new." He called from where he supervised. "You wanna paint?"

3216 shrugged as he regained his bearings. "Maybe." It sounded relaxing at least. 

"Probably should get it done before the next campaign. Sometimes we work with other battalions with shinys."

3216's armor left a dent in his bunk as he got down from his perch. When his feet hit the floor he saw the older trooper wrote a peculiar expression. 

"You're no shiny." He noted the weathering of his armor.

"Transfer."

"You're 3216."

3216 nodded and sat a few feet away from the collective group and set his Hemet apart to paint.

"You can come closer." One of the troopers encouraged. "We don't bite. Promise."

"I'm fine."

He painted three claw-like marks on the right side of his helmet over the jumbled tallies and names and on the other side he painted a jagged line to match the scar on his head with another diagonal one to match the scar on his neck and chin. He ignored the side looks he got but maybe they weren't side looks but curious ones because one of the particularly glance-y troopers questioned him. 

"How'd you get your scars?" He asked as he painted half his own helmet blue.

3216 looked at him a while before vaguely answering. "It varies."

The trooper's eyes defected to his arm guards and his brows furrowed. "You should probably have those replaced."

3216 didn't answer him but instead removed the arm guards and painted the deep wells blue, the wouldn't stay blue, he knew that, too much friction, but he painted them anyways and set them to the side. He painted his armor piece by piece until they were all laying out around him. Every piece had at least a smear of blue. He ended up spending more time than he intended and in the end was sitting in front of his dismantled armor with boiling stomach and paint-speckled blacks. 

His helmet--having been the first thing he painted--was dry by the time he finished and he admired the crude work. He realized after a moment that he thoroughly enjoyed painting, not more than beating through the battlefield, it was a simple distraction and something he hadn't done in a long while, not since he first joined the 782nd which was, in his mind's eye, at least two lifetimes ago.

"Nice work." The older trooper among them chuckled.

3216 moved his armor to the side and began to carefully put it back on as to not disturb the not-fully-dry paint. He wouldn't be sitting or laying back down at least until it was dry, well he didn't plan on it. He walked out of the barracks, fully-armored, and checked his priority messages. Nothing was happening yet. 3 standard hours until they reached Coruscant. He had a mandatory meeting in the Medic Ward issued by Chief Medic Kix but that could wait for right now. He realized he felt utterly useless so he headed to the training room.

The training room was, not surprisingly, nearly packed with troopers, 212th and 501st alike and now he was noticing even 104th troopers. He turned his nose up at the disorganization and moved to the set up course. There were troopers on it but their was enough space for more than a few. Most of the troopers around had their helmets set to the side and even the top half of their armor stripped but 3216 kept his on, up to his helmet, as he jogged to the first set of challenges. He made it to the first base with no effort at all and went for the next step with less vigor. His climbed the ascension wall with half the recommended effort and dropped to the other side calmly. He'd done this way too many times, when he couldn't sleep, when he was bored, when he was dangerously harmful to himself in the past. Way too often. 

He reached the citadel of the course two minutes before the troopers who had been ahead of him abs was half-way through his second round when they reached the end. He ran through it over and over until he finally broke into a sweat and then kept going. He stopped on his 12th run and stepped to the side and watched the other troopers work their way through it. 

"You know most of us can't get through it half as quickly as you can _without_ the armor." One of the troopers moved to stand next to him. 

"I see." He marveled as he watched one of them struggle to reach the top of the second wall.

"I'm Void."

"3216."

Void's eyebrows raised. "You're the trooper that activated the bombs."

3216 inhaled sharply. "Thanks." He said, his voice tight and turned to walk away. 

"Hey! I didn't mean it like that." Void walked after him and 3216 noticed another trooper move up follow them, maybe one of Void's closer troopers. "Come on! I don't know the whole story."

3216 turned, suddenly defensive. "No. You don't."

"Chill brother." He put a hand out as if to lay it on 3216's shoulder but he pushed his shoulder back and it feel back down to Void's thigh. "Why don't you tell me then."

3216 clenched his right hand into a fist as his left massaged the grooves in his arm guard. Void took a step forward and 3216 reciprocated it before turning back to leave and still Void followed. The trooper that had followed them walked close behind him and muttered something about leaving him be. 

"Why don't you take his advice?" 3216 asked and went for the exit. 

Void's hand came down on his arm and for a moment he paused as the touch surged both pleasant and unpleasant memories from a dark place then he turned abruptly to shove the trooper back. Void's tag-along stepped forward as Void stumbled and he gave 3216 a firm shove back.

"Hey. Cool it!" He warned.

3216 turned out of his shove and stepped dominating towards him, bigger in his armor compared to the trooper's half-on armor. The trooper took a small step back but held his ground.

"I don't know what's the matter with you but--"

"What's the matter with me is his need to put his hands on someone." He blinked under his helmet to stop the liquid heat behind his eyes. 

"He barely touched you _or'dinii_!"

3216 shoved him back as he dared to take another step forward. He stumbled father than he intended and when he regained his balance he slammed an angry fist into 3216's armored stomach. The direct impact rattled his empty insides and he yanked his helmet off as burning bile worked it's way up his throat. Thin acid splattered onto the floor and he dropped his helmet next to it and clenched his trembling hands. Everyone had paused to look and silence had fallen as Void's friend watched 3216 intently, trying to make out his next move. The next moment the trooper was crying out and yells filled the room as 3216 ran at him and pummeled him from the waist.

Hands groped at either of their backs as they wrestled on the floor. At one point 3216's teeth had nearly cut through the trooper's ear as he tried to break from his choking hold on his neck. They weren't pulled away until both 3216 and the other clone's mingled blood was spattered on the floor along with half-dry smears of blue paint from 3216's armor whose paint job was now half the quality it was a few minutes before. Void had grabbed his friend and another trooper had 3216 who fought against his grip. Void's friends shrugged Void off and paced back and forth restlessly. 

"You're kriffing crazy!" He spat.

The trooper holding him spoke in his ear as if chanting. "Calm down." He repeated, most definitely a medic. 

"What is going on?" A trooper of higher rank had entered with his helmet under his arm. He had obviously come to workout but had ran into _that_. 

" _He's_ got a real bad temper." Void's friend growled as red drool dropped from his mouth which he speed on the back of his arm. 

3216 turned in the medic's hold but was given no slack. " _He_ _touched_ me."

"Were all brothers here. We brush past each other, no matter. Now disperse!"

3216 stumbled out of the medic's arms and picked his helmet up from next to his bile. An angry tear made its way over his lashes and he shoved his helmet on to hide it.

"We're not all brothers." 3216 hissed and walked out heavily.

* * *

Rex watched the end of the commotion from outside the training room but moved on as 3216 stomped out and turned the corner so quick it made Rex's head spin. The wound in his thigh was just a surface wound now but Kix still had an appointment set for him. 

The medbay was mostly empty side from the few troopers getting Kix's required checkups and a couple who were injured. Rex glanced at Kix, who nodded at him from where he bandaged a wonky foot, and sat on a bed and set his helmet next to him.

Kix usually would have one of the other medics come see him during the busy times but those last battles of that campaign had produced little injury. Even with the significantly less stress than normal Kix looked out of it. His hair had grown just short of unruly and his face was growing a nice shadow. Bags tickled the under part of his eyes and his eye twitched every so often. 

"Did you sleep?" He asked.

"6 full hours." Rex confirmed. "Can't say it was sound but it was sleep regardless."

Kix huffed at this but didn't say anything more on the matter as he went through his usually routine. 

"You lost eight pounds than usual on this campaign." Kix recorded and looked up. "And that's not including the absence of sustenance."

"I'll regain it."

"Yes you will." Kix tried his usual smile and just barely pulled it off. "Other than that you're good captain."

Rex hopped off the bed and watched as trooper Jazz, the one who had been fighting with 3216, walked in with Void. He was working his jaw which was clearly bruised in three spots. His marked neck didn't look too good either--for a fight between brothers.

Kix's eyes disappeared in his head for an exasperated minute before sighed. Rex put a hand on his shoulder. "Get rest when you're through with them."

Kix shook his head. "Not even going through them."

He signaled Tonic and walked out with Rex as he went to deal with the sour trooper (suck it up and grow a pair). Rex was sure Kix was only following him to make sure he got to his destination and didn't work himself too hard. In truth he knew he needed the rest but his body buzzed with energy that was not adrenaline but Kix didn't need to know that. He'd have him on heavy sleeping meds until he couldn't muster enough vigor to pick up his damn bucket. 

They didn't converse for the first few minutes until it became clear Rex was walking aimlessly to see if Kix would dip off, not that any of them acknowledged that. 

"Have you seen Jesse around?" Rex asked while he pretended to look around the corner, trying to fool the wizened.

"No. Not since the before the bomb was disabled." Kix muttered.

"Have you tried to find him?" _Please go to find him._

"No." Kix's fallen face lit up a little as he found a face he recognized--by the individuality, not feature. "Echo!"

Rex curved his neck for a second before he forced it back up to look at Echo. They hadn't conversed since he'd gotten distracted on the battlefield and that was a sour note for a captain to leave things on with a trooper, his or not. He had noticed he was sleeping in the bunks when he had went to check for all of Cody and Wolffe's missing troopers, he had half a mind to wake him, knowing any time he sees him during this war could be the last, that went for every single trooper.

"Rex." Echo's pale cheeks stretched into a smile as he regarded him, waving at Kix a little. "I was looking for you."

Rex raised his eyebrows and waited for him to continue. Echo weaved his arms around Rex's shoulders--a total picked-it-up-from-Fives move from long ago--and beamed at Kix. "He'll be seated and resting, I give my word or so help me he will be chained to his bunk."

Satisfied with Echo's enthusiasm Kix walked away giving Rex a warning glance. Rex frowned at the retreating medic. "He keeps looking at me like that."

"Probably because you're stewing in your injuries." Echo said as he began to lead the captain down the hall. 

"It's barely a bruise now."

Echo waved away the topic. "Anyways. I was just going through some files," He sounded like he was about to be skirting around his point for a moment, "and couldn't help but open Fives' file and... I saw the cause of death, you know, and then I dug a little deeper--"

Rex bent out of the crook of Echo's arm and stopped walking. "I'm going to stop you there because you are potentially treading harsh waters."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Buuut, he was drugged and alone with the chancellor right? Before his _psychotic break_."

"This isn't what you do Echo." Rex said carefully. 

"What if this actually is a conspiracy? Tech got going about past conspiracies and--"

"Stop!" Rex's tone physically stopped him in his entirety for a moment. "Look, I've gotten over it okay? I'm not saying I didn't get close to _this_ but it passed and in the end I accepted it. You will too, you haven't had the time to process this but I have and I promise you that it'll only be bad for you if you run with this."

For a moment Echo locked eyes with Rex, his own eyes filled with a despair that was dangerously close to the surface but still locked away--hysteria determined to get there first. Not yet, he'd been back in action for not even a month. It can't start yet, not when they were so close to the end, the end where they could be friends without the inevitable death looming over them. They couldn't have that if he was put down for _treason_.

Even though he was advising his friend he couldn't help but also realize he was preventing something for his self, trying to stop himself from breaking down. He was a soldier, they all were, born and bred, he knew to let the losses pass but that didn't mean they weren't still humane. Everything caught up with them eventually, Rex was running out of the distance that protected him from it. At his back was the past and all the pain that came with it and at his front was a breakdown in the midst of a war and all the burden and anger that followed.

After a long and agonizing moment Echo nodded. "You're right." He said quietly while he laced his fingers tightly. "You're right."

Rex put a hand on Echo's shoulder which he promptly shrugged off. "Um. The batch and I will be dispatching before we reach Coruscant. Sorry if I was out of line sir."

Rex groaned inwardly at himself for rejecting hard enough for Echo to become deliberately distant as Echo gave him a false smile and retreated down the hall in the opposite direction. He breathed out through his nose and turned abruptly to walk in the other direction. His aimless walking started again and he found himself back in the barracks--silent. A few troopers snoozed in the far back but it was mostly empty. One trooper sat hunched similar to how Rex often found himself when he reminisced. 

The rough scar on the side of his head told him it was 3216. He walked up to him, making enough noise to get his attention. 

"Sitrep trooper." He mustered his most uncaring and commanding voice he could at the moment which wasn't much.

3216 turned to him, obviously still a little riled up. "It's the barracks, what is there to _sitrep_?" He scowled. "There's some troopers sleeping. _Wow_!"

"I don't like you're attitude 3216."

"Attitude." He scoffed. "One of my older brothers used to call me that."

"Then it was well placed." Rex retorted.

"I called him Snark so I think it was a 'we're even' type of thing."

"Is this going anywhere?"

"No." 3216 answered simply. "I have nothing to offer as sitrep captain."

Rex huffed at the slight undertone of sarcasm that still tickled his voice. He leaned against the side of the bunk 3216 sat on which earned him a confused look.

"I saw your little tussle in the training room." Rex watched his neutral face which he angled towards the ground. "I don't like fights between my men."

"Your _men_ ask for it." He didn't stop himself; all the attitude.

"Isn't a war enough?"

"You'd think." 3216 stood up and put his helmet on over the mess of hair which wasn't tied up. "Excuse me _sir_."

Rex stepped to the side abs he brushed past him--a heavy rumble playing out from his stomach.

"Get something to eat maybe." Rex called after him. If he was being honest he was concerned by the clear bile that had run up his throat when Jazz hit him--it had been clearly from a malnourished stomach. Troopers that didn't eat ended up malfunctioning, Rex hated how that thought sounded.

He stood in the middle of the barracks a little confused. This regularly happened to him after just leaving the battlefield. Every little thing made him jump to defend the Republic for the first few minutes then after that the useless feeling settled. At those times he rather fancied the idea of being a commander so he'd have to do some debriefs off the battlefield or do anything to contribute to anything. He clenched his hands a few times. _Enjoy the calm and quiet maybe._ He chided himself. 

He found himself an isolated corner of the barracks and after he stashed his armor he found a nice resting position and forced himself into an actual sleep, one he needed--bad.

* * *

Sometimes everything hurt at once, like his body had just caught up with the sensation of being blown up and remade, at the moment it was doing that aching thing but on a much deeper level. Echo had considered the possibility that Rex would turn him away on his Fives theory, which he had been working on for weeks which suddenly meant nothing. The conspiracy was an illusion that he fought to maintain because if he didn't that would be Fives _had_ gone crazy and attacked and falsely accused the chancellor of treason. And he had. Oh Crosshair was going to have a relief movement for the absence of Echo's obsessive burden which he had hated hearing about. 

Tech stood in the open hatch of the _Havoc Marauder_ with his head, by default, bent over a screen. Echo had been sure for the first few days that their was a curved metal bar in his neck until he had first seen him straighten it when he had poked the middle of it lightly. 

He looked up as Echo approached, encouraging but distant. "So...?"

"It'll pass." He muttered, resigned.

"Thank the force. I thought it'd go on longer." Crosshair muttered deadpan around his toothpick as he walked to the end of the hatch door to crouch there. 

Echo walked past them into the vessel and past Wrecker who was sorting through his explosives and to the back of the ship in his little corner which was a groove near the thrusters. When they were in hyperspace the vacuum slipping through the mechanics made Echo blissfully light but at the moment they weren't in hyperspace and he was heavy and aching. He curled himself into the back of the groove and leaned against the exposed engine of the thruster and pulled out his datapad. The first thing it showed when he powered it up was the last image he had been looking when he turned it off yesterday, the image of him Commander Cody, Rex and Fives. After Kamino was attacked. 

He watched the image until the occasional correction of the holo caused his eyes to water and he shut it off. He couldn't dwell like this for the rest of his life. He had a war to finish and an after-war life to attend which Fives would give him hell about from the afterlife if he were to waste it on the memory of him. Doesn't mean it didn't ache still. 

He sat in his misery for a few minutes before getting back up. He had better things to do with his life than sit in this damn corner. He laughed at his own bitterness which had been something he developed after his run with the Techno Union and he honestly hated it but it seemed to have ingrained itself into his emotions. He would not end to like this when they were so close to a victory. He and Rex and Cody and the rest of the batch and a bunch of their other brothers were going to live through this and when they were done they were going to find a nice place to rest and watch some fireworks like the children that had seen nothing more than explosives from afar. 

"You freeze when you reminisce."

Echo looked up from where he had his eyes planted in his feet to see Tech. The bizarre fact _was_ a fact and he shifted his position. He had stood in a standard stance with his feet shoulder length apart and had dropped his head slightly. 

"You told me that before."

"Hunter worries about you sometimes. Wrecker thinks you're going to eventually get sucked into space back here." Tech pointed out. 

Instead of acknowledging their worry Echo smirked. "And Crosshair?"

Tech didn't answer that. "We're almost to our drop-off location. Hunter said the vacuum well kill you if you're exposed to it enough." He nodded to the corner Echo had been sitting in. 

"That easy?" Echo snorted. "I wonder how much that will cost the Republic."

Tech became grave. "More than you think. Technically you are worth at least 10 experienced troopers. Maybe 20 shiny regs."

Echo opened his mouth to reply to Tech's argument (consoling the way be does best, data) but a loud alarm penetrated the _Havoc's_ plating from outside in the _Resolute_. The blaring sound put them both at attention and they ran out in unison. Hunter had appeared from his sanctuary known as the sergeant's private barracks and ran out with them. Crosshair sat where Echo had left him as if he couldn't hear the sound or see the blinking red filtering through the hangar and beyond. Wrecker was gone.

Echo slung his weapon into his hand and grabbed his helmet with the other and placed it on his head. Crosshair eventually decided to hear the alarm and shared a look with his comrades. Echo shrugged. "We didn't think the peace would last did we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or'dinii - moron, fool


End file.
